DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES & CURRENT USES IN ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY – A MARCELLUS SHALE EXAMPLE

The Marcellus Shale play has been of significant importance in the development of oil and gas resources and providing regulatory framework for natural resource protection. Pennsylvania has led in updating oil and gas regulations to manage these unconventional resources. The use of digital technologies now underlies effective collection, storage, analysis and reporting of data and information integral to industry operational performance and regulatory compliance.

Regulatory compliance and reporting requirements are creating large data sets which can present information management challenges. GIS-based digital collection tools and principles of centralization, standardization and automation are being used to meet these challenges. Developing a life cycle solution which includes mobile data collection, enterprise data management, accessible web portals, and reporting tools provide means for users to access, mine, query, analyze and report relevant data and information with justifiable confidence.

Pennsylvania’s pre-drill sampling and mechanical well integrity assessment requirements provide two examples of how industry is using digital technologies to improve data collection, management and accessibility; manage asset performance; and meet regulatory reporting requirements that protect Pennsylvania’s natural resources. Consequently, practitioners of environmental geology have embraced these digital technologies and are incorporating them into database intensive activities both for the Marcellus Shale and across the country.