Integrating time-indexed archives of past drilling data improves the reliability of geosteering and monitoring activities

Geosteering is predicated on the concurrent observation of data transmitted from the drilling operation characterizing the rocks and fluids encountered at or close to the drilling bit, and existing models and predictions used to plan the well. In an ideal world they should match, indicating that the models and predictions were correct and that the drilling is located at exactly the right 3-dimensional location relative to the surrounding formations and the area of interest within the formation. Of equal importance is the use of measurements from prior drilling activities geographically close or having penetrated formations similar to the current well. Their availability can provide insights into current events. The use of a time-indexed repository that contains the records of the data coming from prior real-time data transmissions allows for a direct comparison and assessment of live data channels compared to historical ones. This facilitates the application of analytics and the training of machine-learning systems.