Time to take prospect generation to the next level

Marisé Mikulis, energy industry manager, Microsoft, presents the case that, with available technology and innovation, geoscientists can improve their prospect generation by optimizing their workflows and collaboration with colleagues. It’s difficult to imagine that many geologists and geophysicists now in their 60s were trained before the now widely accepted theory of plate tectonics theory. Why? The notion was only proposed and defended in the 1960s. Similarly many interpreters in their 50s were trained before the now widely accepted method of seeking ‘bright spot’ signals. Why? The technique was only proposed and defended in the late 1970s. These examples are only two in a remarkable legacy and culture of innovation the oil and gas industry is built upon. The people who pioneered these innovations, in fact, contributed not just one, but two things. Besides expanding our methods of interpretation, they also expanded our methods of discovery. One might argue that novelty and innovation in discovery method is really a prerequisite for innovation in interpretation. Plate tectonics and bright spots are two examples of innovation being as much a part of the industry’s DNA as it is in space programmes or genome projects.