UK Releases 130 Terabytes of Oil and Gas Data

The UK Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) is making available to the public some 130 terabytes of well, geophysical, field, and infrastructure data through the launch of the UK Oil and Gas National Data Repository (NDR).

The dataset covers 12,500 offshore wellbores, 5,000 seismic surveys, and 3,000 pipelines over more than five decades. The release is intended to help promote new investment, technology, and exploration activity on the UK Continental Shelf, ultimately boosting recovery, the OGA said in a news release.

“The NDR creates research opportunities for both technology and analysis,” explained Simon James, OGA chief information officer. “For the industry, it means access to a huge data pool to harness digital technology, relieves them of the regulatory requirement to retain information, and enhances collaboration.”

Registered users can search, view, and download data for free or order data for delivery on media on a cost-reflective basis.

The OGA’s already-established open data site includes data on licensing rounds, exploration, drilling, and production, including a production dashboard for the Buchan Field.

Unveiling of the NDR follows another big North Sea data release by Equinor last year. The Norwegian operator made available 40,000 files of subsurface and production data from the Volve Field.