National Data Repositories Meet to Collaborate in Azerbaijan

HOUSTON, TX--(Marketwired - Oct 14, 2014) - Managing growing volumes of data generated by the oil and gas industry is a common challenge for all oil regulators around the world. Typically regulators have resolved the problem by establishing National Data Repositories (NDRs). The twelfth meeting of these oil regulators to discuss common issues and problems was held in early October 2014 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The event was hosted by the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and it was appropriate that the conference was held in view of the first commercially drilled oil well in the world. 

Regulators from 22 countries plus delegates from major oil industry service companies and software suppliers met to share best practices and update the progress made on collaborative projects since the last meeting. More importantly, they discussed how to improve the quality of data delivered to regulators, how to improve the profile of NDRs and how to enhance the value of the data. Data management best practices increase efficiency, leverage new technology developments and improve industry compliance while promoting economic development and protecting the environment.

Tirza van Daalen, TNO - Netherlands, and Chair of the meeting said, "This was an excellent meeting that exceeded our expectations. There is a real desire for regulators to cooperate and we are expecting real progress in various data standards areas before the next meeting in North America in 2016."

Jerry Hubbard, President & CEO of Energistics, organizers of the event, said, "I believe the next eighteen months will show real progress in collaboration between regulators as they assimilate the lessons learned and the benefits of sharing. In particular, I am hopeful that the established WITSML well data standard will be considered as the way forward to resolve some endemic data issues for regulators."

NDR appointed Dr. Lee Allison, Director of the Arizona Geological Survey, as its new Chair for the next 18 months. Allison said his two goals are to expand on interactions and collaborations among the data repositories between meetings, and to get more of the many U.S. state and federal oil and gas regulatory agencies to participate in NDR in advance of the Spring 2016 conference to be held in North America. "The U.S. oil and gas community has a lot to learn from and to share with its international counterparts," Allison said.

For more information on the National Data Repository Work Group and NDR2014, please visit www.ndr2014.org.  

Energistics is a global, not-for-profit, membership organization that serves as the facilitator, custodian and advocate for the development and adoption of technical open data exchange standards in the upstream oil and gas industry. Uniquely designed to unite upstream industry professionals in a neutral and collaborative facilitation environment, Energistics membership consists of integrated, independent and national oil companies, oilfield service companies, software vendors, system integrators, regulatory agencies and the global standards user community. For more information visit our website at www.energistics.org.