Satellite Imaging to Offer Sharper View of Remote Oil, Gas Operations

“Satellites can make a big difference. The more bands you have, the more you can say about the spectrum, including vegetation, oil sheen, rock types and fault networks,” said Pope. 

Since the mid-1990s, satellite technology has made major strides, going from resolution of 9 feet (3 meters) to 19 inches (50 centimeters), allowing for greater detail of a rig or truck to be seen. One major breakthrough is the ability to quickly import satellite imaging data into a desktop or analytical tool, and the reduction of the analytical process from months to minutes, tanks to proprietary technology developed by DigitalGlobe and its partnership with the U.S. government.

The geospatial data that DigitalGlobe and Spatial are working with is true Big Data, with file sizes as large as 68 petabytes. Spatial’s on demand platform “makes Big Data management much more manageable,” and has created significant demand for Spatial’s product, said Pope. With cloud platforms, moving data files of this size around the world would require lots of old school days and weeks of work.

DigitalGlobe’s technology can work with any cloud platform available, and data can be integrated into the workflow of oil and gas companies and the seismic platforms they use. Customers can reach DigitalGlobe on a 24/7 basis, and satellites can be moved over an area within hours of a request.

To gather images, optical and radar are used. Radar can be used to see through clouds to detect oil seeps on the ocean floor. Radar offers a nice complement to optical imagery. Digital elevation models also allow for the monitoring of subsea nearshore bathymetry. Satellite monitoring can allow for imaging in reasonably clear water down to 98 feet (30 meters).

Short-wave infrared allows for the analysis of rock properties, and while it doesn’t eliminate the need for field observation, it can help companies hone in on areas that are more interesting from a rock perspective.

Oil and gas companies who use earth observation satellite imagery are just on the beginning of the curve in terms of applications. The supermajors have embraced the technology, but large independents and national oil companies have yet to realize its full potential, marking a case of technology pacing out in front of companies’ understanding of its potential.