Authors / CoAuthors
Williamson, P. | Foster, C.
Abstract
Access to high quality exploration data is essential to effectively assess exploration risk. To encourage exploration in its many under-explored regions, Australia has traditionally maintained better access to government geoscience and petroleum exploration data than almost anywhere else in the world. Access to petroleum exploration information has been facilitated by legislation requiring data submission and availability, and by the provision of pre-competitive studies by government agencies. This is coupled with an aggressive, globally and yearly promoted, acreage release program. Recent initiatives however have improved access even more. The Australian government has an active new program of data acquisition in poorly explored areas and the recently announced Spatial Information and Data Access Policy requires that basic data be made available at the marginal cost of transfer, or is free if via the internet. Available information includes basic field data, comprising well, seismic and other survey data, interpretative data developed as part of petroleum prospectivity assessments by industry, and pre-competitive data sets and studies carried out by government. To facilitate access, and use of these data sets, the Australian government has made publicly available, relational digital databases containing information such as source rock potential, reservoir properties, shows, biostratigraphy, and well, and survey details. Parameters from databases can be plotted on-line. The information is free via the internet, and data can be downloaded in a variety of formats for use by explorers. Seismic field data, for reprocessing or interpretation, can be ordered from the on-line survey database at minimal cost and is heavily used by industry. Currently, 5 terabytes of seismic field data are borrowed each year from the Australian Government for reprocessing. The main borrowers are petroleum companies followed by data contractors. So that explorers can access any onshore or offshore information, a single geoscience portal on the internet has been developed http://www.geoscience.gov.au/. Moreover, the Australian Government, through Geoscience Australia is conducting regional studies of petroleum prospectivity of the offshore jurisdiction to assist explorers. Access to petroleum exploration data has been subject to legislation since the 1950s when the Petroleum Search Subsidy Act subsidised exploration and required that exploration data to be submitted for subsequent release after a relatively brief confidentiality period. The requirement to lodge exploration data was retained in the Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act in 1967, whereas, subsidy for exploration was then discontinued. The Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act in its current form is still in operation in Australia. The current ready access to petroleum exploration data has been of considerable assistance to companies in their exploration and in discovery of significant petroleum reserves in offshore Australia. Australia had one of the highest rates in the world in discovery of barrels of oil equivalent per year. The methods of making exploration data as conveniently accessible to explorers as possible are constantly being addressed with a view to further encouraging exploration and to maintaining Australia?s high exploration success.
Product Type
nonGeographicDataset
eCat Id
60427
Contact for the resource
Custodian
Point of contact
Cnr Jerrabomberra Ave and Hindmarsh Dr GPO Box 378
Canberra
ACT
2601
Australia
Keywords
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- GA Publication
- Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)
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- Earth Sciences
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- Published_Internal
Publication Date
2003-01-01T00:00:00
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geoscientificInformation
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Spatial Resolution
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