Host: Canadian Society
of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG)
Location: Chateau Lake Louise, Lake Louise, Canada
Dates: October 8-11, 2018 (Tuesday AM to Thursday
PM; Icebreaker Monday October 8)
With the proliferation of geologists applying Geomodeling techniques,
Gaps persist between the applications of Geomodeling, Geostatistics, the
software tools and the appropriate practice of those techniques in the broader
community. The challenges grow. The meeting plan is to gather expertise from
practitioners, software vendors and Geostatisticians to present and discuss
materials to help focus the participants on the path to ensure the continuing
success of the Geomodeling community. This event will deliver many levels of
exciting technical discussion around innovations, use of effective and
efficient geomodeling methods and spark insights. Shared experience is a key. We
can bridge the Gap.
Geostatistics is a fundamental aspect of Geomodeling. The meeting
target is broadened in scope to a multi-disciplined audience. The aim is to
emphasize the applications and challenges, to expose the difficulties causing
pain in our workflows, and to underscore actionable research ready to be
implemented today. Common themes will emerge.
There are
deterministic data, models and methods. These have a place as the basis for
analyzing reservoirs. Many of our data types are determined for use in
Geostatistics and Geomodeling without considering bias and scale. Uncertainty
in the data exists. Therefore it is subject to interpretation and to
statistical measures of that uncertainty. Geomodels can be built with scenarios
to capture uncertainty in the interpretations. Statistical and geostatistical
approaches can be used to capture the spread of uncertainty in inputs,
scenarios, and results. The choices of available methods for simulating
parameters are growing. So are the actionable methods to summarize, classify and
extract useful information from all realization sets. There are trade-offs
depending on goals and information available. Model Checking, Validating and
Fairness are important, yet underutilized in practice. Ultimately, decisions
…economic decisions are made.
During the course
of the presentations and for posters, let us not forget underlying fundamentals
of spatial data analysis, trends, variograms, plus geostatistical limitations.
A variety of facies and petrophysical simulation techniques are used for
modeling heterogeneity. Physical behaviour of materials and fluids present
challenges. Special topics may include faults, fractures, unstructured grids,
gridless modeling and advances in integration of diverse information. Dynamic
response and forecasting are among the outcomes of models and are themselves
models with assumptions. Flow simulation, proxies, and feedback for updating
are used to predict an uncertain future. Old and new techniques, e.g., machine
learning, are coming into vogue in data and model analysis. Emphasis might be
placed on case studies showing the appropriate use, impact or limitations of
techniques. Context is a key.
Software vendors are
solicited to present real technical solutions highlighting their software as
part of the oral and poster sessions. The idea is to include commercial
technology solutions in the meeting in a way that is distinct from a convention
floor canned demo. The Gussow format proved to be successful in 2011 and 2014 at
Closing the Gap I and II. The benefit for software and service companies is
from the novel takeaways, including excellent interaction with the technical attendees
and quality of ideas. Most importantly, Closing the Gap highlights the trends
in technical themes that will influence strategies for subsurface integrated
teams.
About Gussow
The conference is named for William C. Gussow, a geologist who in his day espoused concepts that were both controversial and contrary to accepted ideas. During his career he proved to be a thoughtful, incisive and visionary thinker who was generous in sharing his experience with others. The Gussow Geoscience Conference is named for him and is a meeting focusing on new and emerging issues related to the petroleum industry. The meeting is intended to bring together recognized experts from diverse disciplines to provide a broad range of perspectives on the conference theme. This fall meeting, held outside of Calgary, is more focused and in depth than an Annual Convention and is designed to foster social interaction and networking.
Please join us, David Garner, Conference Chairman