Volunteer Spotlight

Value of Integrated Geophysics (VIG) Committee

The Value of Integrated Geophysics (VIG) committee helps us add value-oriented ideas to our vocabulary, work, presentations and publications so we all increase our knowledge and understanding of the value of geophysics. We, as a membership, are responsible for the propagation of these concepts to other disciplines with which we are intricately entwined. Thank-you to John Duhault, George Fairs, Lee Hunt, David Gray, Mike Hall, Paul Hausmanis, Amy Fox, the CSEG Director of Education (Paul Anderson / Ken Gray) and all previous contributors to VIG for this valuable CSEG initiative.

In 2013, VIG was a thought that came to George Fairs, who bounced ideas around with Lee Hunt and Ron Larson. As with all CSEG member-led initiatives, a committee was formed and, soon afterwards, a plethora of ideas, papers and events flowed. And that is why George likes volunteering – to get things done. George is focused on communicating and demonstrating the value of geophysics, and sees the crossover with other disciplines, including the SPE and those involving financial decision within the industry, as especially important. In the past, George volunteered on the CSEG MLA project, APEGA practice standards committee and with the CSEG Symposium – all to get things done. So when not travelling to South Africa, reading (a book that he is enjoying but can’t remember the name) or enjoying the outdoors, George may be volunteering and advises fellow volunteers to
pick something that has meaning to you and do your best.

John Duhault (VIG Chair) has been part of the VIG committee since its inception. Since the late 1980’s, John has also been a CSEG speaker-thanker, volunteered with the CGF and the CSPG-CSEG Road Race, thrown human rocks at the Doodlespiel and presented the 2015 CSEG Annual Awards. But when he isn’t engaged in volunteer work sipping Pinot Noir or singing ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ at Aussie Rules Football with friends and family. Despite the love for Aussie Rules Football, John thinks that marmite and vegemite are rubbish. And VIG is the exact opposite. John enjoys volunteering and believes that in life we have to consider priorities and balance – take care of yourself, your family, then, depending on your situation, community then work. He notes that it is hard to find a company that appreciates volunteer time. John volunteers anyway and often takes personal time to do so because showing the value of geophysics is important.
If you can’t show value, why are you doing the geophysical project work?

Lee Hunt's paper “Estimating the Value of Geophysics: Decision Analysis” [May 2013 RECORDER] received many unsolicited comments demonstrating interest in VIG by the general membership. Personally, I had to look up the word “pococurante”! Involved with VIG since its inception, Lee contributed to the DoodleTrain VIG course that you may be attending this month, as well as RECORDER VIG columns (2013-2014) and VIG Special Editions (March-April 2015). Lee would like to see a greater uptake of VIG concepts by individual members within the industry – so read the articles, take a course, attend the Symposium and discuss the concepts with colleagues. If you see Lee at an event, hand him a bag of extra buttery popcorn and discuss VIG, “Seveneves” or his trip to Majorca. Lee volunteers to improve his own technical skills through the test of sharing ideas and promote positive change in the industry. That said, Lee astutely observes that sharing is a delicate thing in a competitive industry, especially in regards to confidential information. But CSEG technical events create a structure in which the
cross-pollination of ideas can occur in a well understood, and ethical way.

Over the past 25 years, David Gray has been intricately involved with the technical side of the CSEG. In the early 2000’s, David researched the value of geophysical techniques but found little documentation on the value or statistical improvement in finding oil using seismic techniques. He later published the report “Quantify the Economic Value of Geophysical Information” [March 2011 RECORDER] and requested that we all contribute by writing and identifying papers that quantify the success of geophysical techniques. This and many other contributions led to David being honoured by the 2015 CSEG Symposium – a highlight of his life.

He reads as much as he writes, recommends reading “The End of Energy Obesity”, recently enjoyed the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and at 5pm on Saturday you may find David racing cars. With a lot on his plate, David finds time to be his biggest challenge and notes that it is harder to volunteer at an E&P company than when working with a service company. For members considering volunteering with the CSEG, David advises
put your family first, then your job, then volunteer where your passion is.

Interested in Volunteering?

Interested volunteers are invited to contact the CSEG at office@cseg.ca.