Rabu, 21 Januari 2009

Wlan antenna cabling

Here are some types for antenna cable and connectors. Deliverers here are Elfa Ab and Farnell Components .
Evere part must have impedance of 50 ohm. The impedance of coaxial cable depends of ratio D/d where D is inner dia of the shield tube and d is dia of inner wire. The ratio is about 2.4 in the 50 ohm air insulated coaxial. Other insulate materials decreases the ratio with so called velocity factor.


A = N panel socket in the Antenna, type Radiall R161 404 000W. Elfa item 46-105-23, Farnell 310-025


B = N plug suitable for about 10 mm dia cable like H1000, same connector as for cables RG9 and RG214.
Elfa item 46-075-11, Farnell 309-989 or 143-784

C = Cable Belden H1000, low loss and semirigid, diameter 10.3 mm. Elfa item 55-914-25


D = N cable socket for 10 mm cable. Elfa item 46-086-00, Farnell 310-013 or 143-786


E = Adapter cable 50 cm long with N plug and a connector suitable for the wlan card.. The Orinoco card there is their private connector which is not sold separately. Whole Orinoco adapter cable is sold in wlan deliverers. Most other wlan cards have standard connectors as SMA, SMB, SMC or MCX.






11 July 2001
Martti Palomaki
Ilmajoki, Finland

Main page: Wlan antenna

Architects Make Building Easier

As many other concerns began to be recognised and complexity of buildings began to increase in terms of aspects such as services, architecture started becoming more multi-disciplinary than ever. Architecture now required a team of professionals in its making, an architect being one among the many , sometimes the leader. This is the state of the profession today. However, individuality is still cherished and sought for in the design of buildings seen as cultural symbols - the museum or fine arts centre has become a showcase for new experiments in style: today one style, tomorrow maybe

However, the architecture and urbanism of the Classical civilisations such as the Greek and the Roman evolved from more civic ideas and new building types emerged. Architectural styles developed and texts on architecture began to be written. These became canons to be followed in important works, especially religious architecture. Some examples of canons are the works of Vitruvius, the Kaogongji of ancient China and Vaastu Shastra in ancient India. In Europe in the Classical and Medieval periods, buildings were not attributed to specific individual architects who remained anonymous. Guilds were formed by craftsmen to organise their trade. Over time the complexity of buildings and their types increased. General civil construction such as roads and bridges began to be built. Many new building types such as schools, hospitals, and recreational facilities emerged.
Islamic architecture has a long and complex history beginning in the seventh century CE . Examples can be found throughout the countries that are, or were, Islamic - from Morocco and Spain to Turkey , Iran and Pakistan. Other examples can be found in areas where Muslims are a minority. Islamic architecture includes mosques, madrasas, caravansarais, palaces, and mausolea of this large region.
With the Renaissance and its emphasis on the individual and humanity rather than religion, and with all its attendant progress and achievements, a new chapter began. Buildings were ascribed to specific architects - Michelangelo , Brunelleschi, Leonardo da Vinci - and the cult of the individual had begun. But there was no dividing line between artist, architect and enginee, or any of the related vocations. At this stage, it was still possible for an artist to design a bridge as the level of structural calculations involved was within the scope of the generalist.
With the consolidation of knowledge in scientific fields such as engineering and the rise of new materials and technology, the architect began to lose ground on the technical aspects of building. He therefore cornered for himself another playing field - that of aesthetics . There was the rise of the "gentleman architect" who usually dealt with wealthy clients and concentrated predominantly on visual qualities derived usually from historical prototypes. In the 19th century Ecole des Beaux Arts in France , the training was toward producing quick sketch schemes involving beautiful drawings without much emphasis on context.
Meanwhile, the Industrial Revolution laid open the door for mass consumption and aesthetics started becoming a criterion even for the middle class as ornamented products, once within the province of expensive craftsmanship, became cheaper under machine production.

Building a Strong Core With Pilates

A vital part of the fitness package these days is core strength and flexibility. But, what is core strength and how do we get it?

In the past five years, there has been a growing interested in learning techniques in resistance or weight training, aimed at stabilizing and strengthening the core. It turns out that a strong core is more important than we ever realized.

The muscles of the core are those of the pelvis, spine, shoulders, and abdominals. There is not a human movement that is done that does not involve the muscles of the core, which stabilize the spine and move the body throughout its various tasks. If these muscles are weak, each movement becomes more laborious, causing the posture to degrade and an increased restriction of the muscles.

The core muscles are the catalyst that transfers energy from large muscle groups to smaller ones in the body. Pilates trains the body by mimicking the twisting and turning that occur with everyday chores and movements. If you properly train your core muscles, you can reduce the risk of injury while increasing strength along these same muscles for when you need them during the day.

In addition to strengthening the core muscles, Pilates helps to develop the platform for the actions of the arm, shoulders, and leg muscles. Pilates is an effective way to stabilize the core by developing core strength.

The core muscle themselves are made up of the muscles of the trunk and pelvis, the deep abdominal muscles that protect the spine, the oblique abdominals that run alongside the abdomen, the erector muscle, located in the lower back, and the muscles of the hips and pelvis. Just because you have a "six-pack," it doesn't necessarily mean that you have a strong or stable core. Some of the most important muscles to good core development actually lie just beneath the six-pack. These muscles, with the erector muscles, help you to maintain your balance and have good posture throughout your active day.

The first and most important aim of core strengthening with Pilates is in its performance of exercises that mimic everyday movements, but that isolate specific muscle groups while balancing and strengthening the core. The Pilates exercise program emphasizes using diagonal, rotating movements that promote balance and strength. Equipment such as balance beams, wobble boards, foam rollers, and fit balls are used while sitting or standing, but balancing all the while. The very best core exercises in the program involve moving while balancing one one leg, or shifting from one leg to the other, while performing the exercises.

However, Pilates is not the only way of strengthening the core muscles of the trunk, back, or pelvis. Using a variety of core exercises will better target the area. Some of the best ones are, of course, Pilates, sit ups or crunches, fitness ball exercises, and resistance exercises which use the dead lift, squat, and lunges. Another great type of exercise to strengthen the core uses the medicine ball, throwing overhead to a partner, or using a side pass, and other various exercises. Any of the balancing exercises using a wobble board, balance beam, or foam roller are also good for developing the muscles of the core. If you have access to any of this equipment, you can add these exercises to your Pilates routine and condition your core faster.

Trainers and enthusiasts alike have made Pilates core training part of their weekly exercise routines. Many experts in the field have said that you should not go through an entire week without some sort of core training, whether Pilates or something else.

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

AASHTO is a leading source of technical information on design, construction and maintenance of highways and other transportation facilities, including aviation, highways, public transit, rail, and water.

Most Popular Titles From AASHTO:

  • AASHTO GDHS-5 AASHTO GREEN BOOK - A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, 5th Edition
  • AASHTO HB-17 Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges, 17th Edition
  • AASHTO GDPS-4-M Guide for Design of Pavement Structures and 1998 Supplement
  • AASHTO VLVLR-1 Guidelines for Geometric Design of Very Low-Volume Local Roads (ADT<400)>
  • AASHTO RSDG-3-M Roadside Design Guide, 3rd Edition, Includes 2006 Chapter 6 Update (Print Edition Includes RSAP CD-ROM)
  • AASHTO GL-6 Roadway Lighting Design Guide
  • AASHTO GBF-3 Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities
  • AASHTO MUTCD Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), 2003 Edition
  • AASHTO LRFDUS-4-M AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, Customary U.S. Units, 4th Edition (Includes 2008 Interim Revisions)
  • AASHTO LTS-4-I2 2003 Revisions to the Standard Specifications for Structural Supports for Highway Signs, Luminaires and Traffic Signals, 4th Edition

How To Build A Tin Can Waveguide WiFi Antenna

for 802.11(b or g) Wireless Networks
or other 2.4GHz Applications


click on image to enlarge

Got no dough for a commercial WiFi antenna? Looking for an inexpensive way to increase the range of your wireless network? A tin can waveguide antenna, or Cantenna, may be just the ticket. This design can be built for under $5 U.S. and reuses a food, juice, or other tin can.

I am not an electrical engineer, nor do I have access to any fancy test equipment. I've built some antennas that worked for me and thought I would share what I learned. I have no idea if this is safe for your radio or wireless network equipment. The risk to you and your equipment is yours.

Building your Cantenna is easy, just follow these steps.

  1. Collect the parts
  2. Drill or punch holes in your can to mount the probe
  3. Assemble the probe and mount in can

Collect the parts:

You'll need:

  • A N-Female chassis mount connector.
  • Four small nuts and bolts
  • A bit of thick wire
  • A can

These vendors can supply the parts (the wire and can you provide yourself).

The Connector
A N type Female Chassis-mount connector. One side is N-female for connecting the cable from your wireless equipment, and the other side has a small brass stub for soldering on wire. These can be found at electronics stores internet suppliers (see the list below under "Connect your antenna..." If you shop around, you should be able to find these for $3-$5.

Nuts & Bolts
You'll need them just long enough to go through the connector and the can. I've used #6x1/4" stainless. If your N-connector is a screw on type, then you won't need the nuts and bolts.

Wire
You'll need about 1.25" of 12 guage copper wire. This wire will stick into the brass stub in the N-connector.

A Can
This is the fun part. You're looking for a can between about 3" and 3 2/3" in diameter. The size doesn't have to be exact. I made a good antenna with a Nalley's "Big Chunk" Beef Stew can that was 3.87" in diameter. Others have reported good results with big 39oz. coffee cans that are 6" in diameter. The pringles can is really too small for good performance, however. Try to get as long a can as possible. The old fashioned fruit juice cans should work well.


Click on image to enlarge


Drill or punch holes in your can to mount the probe

The N-connector assembly will mount in the side of your can. You need to put holes in the right place to mount the connector. The placement of the hole and connect is very important. It's location is derived from formulas that use the frequency that the antenna will operate at and the can diameter. To make life easy on you, here's a calculator to figure it out for you.

Can Diameter

Cuttoff Frequency in MHz for TE11 mode

MHz

Cuttoff Frequency in Mhz for TM01 mode

MHz

Guide Wavelength in Inches

inches

1/4 Guide Wavelength

inches

3/4 Guide Wavelength

inches

Enter the diameter of your can above and click on the calculate button. 802.11b and 802.11g WiFi networking equipment operates at a range of frequencies from 2.412 GHz to 2.462 GHz. Ideally, with your can size, the TE11 cut-off frequency should be lower than 2.412 and the TM01 cut-off should be higher than 2.462. It would be good, also, if your can is longer than the 3/4 Guide Wavelength. If your can is a little off in length or diameter, don't despair, experimentation is fun!

You want to mark the location on the can where you will put the hole for the connector. The 1/4 Guide Wavelength number tells you how far up from the bottom metal end of the can to put the center of the hole. Open only one end of your can, eat the contents, and give it a good washing. You'll probably want to remove the label too. Use a ruler to measure up from the closed end 1/4 Guide Wavelength and mark the can with a dot.

If you've got a drill, select a bit that matches the size of the center of your connector. You may want to start with a small bit and work the hole larger and larger. You could even start with a hammer and nail, then use drill bits. If you don't have a drill, start with a nail hole and use a file to get the hole to the required size. If you're using a bolt on connector, make four more holes for the bolts - you can use the connector as a drilling guide.


Click on image to enlarge

Assemble the probe and mount in can

Now you'll need that bit of wire. You'll need a soldering iron or a friend with one as well. Cut the wire so that when it is stuck in the connector as shown, the total length of both the brass tube and wire sticking out past the connector is 1.21". Get as close to this length as you can.

When you've got your wire correctly sized, solder it into the connector keeping it as straight and upright as you can. When it's cooled, bolt or screw the assembly into your can. Put the heads of the bolts inside the can and the nuts on the outside to minimize the obstructions in your antenna. Your Done!

Connect your antenna to your wireless card or access point

To use your cantenna, you'll need a special cable commonly called a "Pig Tail". The pig tail connects your wireless card or access point to you antenna. One end of the cable will have a "N" Male connector (just right for connecting your your cantenna), while the other end will have a connector appropriate to your card or access point. For a good picture of a pig tail, take a look at:
http://www.seattlewireless.net/index.cgi?PigTail

You'll want to have a wireless NIC or access point with an external antenna connector. Otherwise, you may have to hack into the one you have to hook up the cable. I wouldn't recommend this unless you're good with a soldering iron and electronics. For this reason, I like the Agere Orinoco cards which have a nice antenna connector. Pig Tails can be hand made if you have the right tools, but it's probably easier to get a pre-made one. Try:

Hook up your cable, point the antenna at a friend's, and see how far you can stretch you network. Be sure to let me know (greg@turnpoint.net) how it works.

This antenna has linear polarization. That means that how you rotate the antenna will affect the strength of your signal. Usually, you will want to put the connection straight down, but experiment with rotating the can while watching the signal strength on your PC to get the best performance.

For more information, check out these resources:

Go to the Homebrew WiFi Antenna Shootout

Go to the Wireless Home


Click on images to enlarge

Copyright 2003-2007 Gregory Rehm - All rights reserved.
For information about reproducing this article in any format,
contact the author: greg@turnpoint.net

SmallBusinessConsulting

Do not underestimate the small businesses out there today, these small babies have plenty to coo about. These businesses come in all shapes and sizes and are all very different in many ways. It is all about making money and enjoying yourself while doing so. Noone wants to be unhappy with their jobs, it just makes life so frustrating and difficult at times. If you are not knowledgeable about the different kinds of small business opportunities that are available in today's job market then you should seriously consider doing some research over the internet about small business consulting, or the small business specialists programs that could be made ready and available to you for your purposes.

The small business consulting companies have really come a long way now and have the great potential to grow into an enormous business consulting company. The many people involved in maintaining these types of businesses are very professional and they always know what they are talking about. They demonstrate a quality leadership that can not be found in many other companies out there today. These fantastic leadership qualities help when influencing the small business specialists to thrive to perfect their skills, by doing the proper researches in finding the correct resources for them to strengthen their capabilities, before their huge launch. By staying ahead of the game you can rest assured that your clients are going to love what you can help them achieve and they are going to be telling everybody about it, which means, many more clients down the road for you.

There are many up to date service offerings available that are convincing small business consultants that they should really consider right now, to begin figuring out new ways to ensure that their will always be prospective clients available for you. Many of the clients out there today are interested in finding options that will allow them to grow and they need to know for sure that these will be presented in a very professional manner and in such a way that anyone around them could understand exactly what it is they are trying to say. No confusions about it at all. Well managed services, along with software and hardware, are beginning to really get their names out there and are making some very positive gains. These need to be made available to the consultant of your choice.

Some small business consultants need some new creative solutions in order to keep them truly hard core in today's business world. There are many advantages to being involved in the small business communities, one of those being, having the ability to swap ideas with one another all over the country. You will have absolutely no boundaries, your options are totally limitless. The small business specialists can feel very proud, because of them helping achieve a job very well done, in the hopes of retrieving many permanent clients. It does not matter which type of consulting you decide to pursue, it just matters that you can be dedicated and determined enough to create a reputable business name for your small business of choice.

Software programs for soil mechanics

Applications :
For data processing conforming the most important International Geotecnical Institutions.


Product Information:

General description:
The software programs to be used with the 30-T0601/A
Data Acquisition And Processing System have been properly developed for monitoring, processing and printing the test results conforming to the recommendations of the most important International Geotechnical Institutions (e.g. UK Imperial College, MIT, ISSMFE, etc.)and provides the following diagrams and tables:


30-T0601/P1 Consolidation test program, data acquisition and processing

  • 1) Time/settlement data for each consolidation stage
  • 2) Graphical representation of log time (or square root time)/settlement data, including the procedure to read off t100 (or t90)
  • 3) Summary table of consolidation parameters calculated for each step of load/unload
  • 4) Plot of the following final data:
    • Vertical strain e/log p'
    • Void ratio e/log p'
    • Constrained modulus log M/log p'
    • Coefficient of consolidation log Cv/log p'
    • Coefficient of permeability log K/log p'
    • Coefficient of secondary compression Ca/log p'




30-T0601/P2 Direct/residual shear (multireversal) program, data acquisition and processing

  • 1) Time/settlement data for each consolidation stage
  • 2) Graphical representation of square root time/settlement data, including evaluation of t100
  • 3) Displacement/shear stress data for the failure stage (direct and residual) for evaluation of peak and residual strength
  • 4) Graphical representation of up to 6 shear/displacement curves from different shear tests
  • 5) Plot of peak and residual shear stress against normal stress for up to 6 different tests with evaluation of both peak and residual failure envelopes formulated on the video display.




30-T0601/P3 Unconfined and triaxial test program UU, CU, CD, data acquisition and processing

  • 1) Time/pore pressure data and diagram for each saturation stage of CU and CD tests
  • 2) Summary table of saturation data and computation of Skempton's B
  • 3) Time/pore pressure, parameter time/volume change and time/settlement data and diagrams for each consolidation stage of CU and CD tests
  • 4) Tabulated data for the failure stage of UU, CU, CD tests
  • 5) For up to 6 different specimens tested at different effective (or total) confining pressure of UU, CU and CD tests, plots of the following data:
    • Stress/strain
    • Pore pressure/strain (CU tests)
    • Volume change/strain (CD tests)
    • Stress ratio/strain
    • Stress path
    • Mohr’s circles
    • Evaluation of the shear strength parameters with the failure envelope formulated on the video display.




30-T0601/P5 CBR test program, data acquisition and processing

  • 1) Load and penetration table
  • 2) Graphical representation of load versus penetration with the facility of correction of initial curve for determining CBR index at 2.5 and 5 mm.




30-T0601/P10 Hydraulic consolidation cell test, data acquisition and processing

  • 1) Summary table of volume change and pore pressure data
  • 2) Graphical representation curve of volume change and pore pressure versus log time (or square root of time) including the procedure to identify the end of consolidation.




30-T0601/R0 Additional software package for customised printout

This package includes a dedicated editor specially designed as a tool for customised printout. The user can introduce and position on each certificate all the subsidiary information and data that he requires to print. E.g.: logo of the laboratory, name of the technicians, test code, certificate number, reference standards, different format and physical units of data, etc. Different printout configurations can be easily set up, stored and recalled for automatic customised printout. The most important advantage of this package is that, provided the main software is displayed in English (or French, or Spanish, or Italian), each single certificate can be stored and printed in local language directly by the user. The package is supplied complete with examples of customised certificates that for the majority of application do not need any change (only translation may be required by the customer).




Ordering Information:
Extension cables

  • 30-T0600/30 Transducer extension cable, 6 m
  • 30-T0600/31 Transducer extension cable, 12 m
  • Connection box
  • 30-T0601/LINK Connection box for multiple system
    Connection box and cable, to connect from 2 to 4 30-T0601/A Dataloggers to PC.

GEOLAB 2000 SOFTWARE Examples of customised prints
GEOLAB 2000 SOFTWARE
Examples of customised prints
ZOOM


GEOLAB 2000 SOFTWARE Examples of customised prints
GEOLAB 2000 SOFTWARE
Examples of customised prints
ZOOM



Mor

ERMAPPER 7.1

Tentu bagi para analis GIS pasti akan familiar dengan software ini. Ermapper merupakan salah satu software proprietary untuk pemrosesan citra yang sangat terkenal.penulis pun menggunakan software ini dalam beberapa pekerjaannya. jika dibandingkan software pemrosesan citra lain, Ermapper memerlukan dasar pengetahuan yang cukup mengenai pemrosesan citra, dikarenakan GUI yang sedikit rumit,sedikit waktu diperlukan untuk memahami toolbar dan GUI software ini agar kita dapat menggunakannya dengan nyaman.tetapi kekurangan ini dapat ditutupi dengan fungsionalitas yang sangat fleksibel, sebagai contoh pada fungsi algoritma citranya. membuka, menampilkan, mengintegrasikan, serta memaksimalkan citra dapat dilakukan dengan software ini. Ermapper juga menyediakan wizard untuk kemudahan operasional, yang menurut penulis, memang sangat membantu sekali, dibandingkan cara manual via toolbar. pemrosesan citra dilakukan secara dinamis, dengan berbagai macam pilihan fungsi, seperti NDVI, histogram, serta berbagai macam algoritma lainnya. selain itu proses mosaik citra dapat dilakukan dengan cukup mudah dan cepat. serta keunggulan kompresi ermapper dengan ecw dan jpg2000 yang akan menghemat space hardisk anda serta resource komputer saat meload citra tersebut.
Sampai saat tulisan ini ditulis, Ermapper sudah dikembangkan sampai versi 7.1 dengan beberapa fitur baru, yaitu :
1. peningkatan performa GeoTIFF, meliputi
membaca dan menulis file lebih dari 2GB
mendukung 32 bit TIFFs
mendukung JPEG terkompresi TIFFs
2. mendukung JPEG 2000 dengan alpha channel
3. beberapa format baru yang didukung,yaitu :
ERDAS Imagine (IMG) 8.x
ArcInfo ASCII grid
SDTS
CGRA DEM format
PNG 24 bit (baca langsung)
4. peningkatan dukungan cetak citra dari Image Web Server
5. Toggle “reprojection-on-the-fly”
6. format citra IRS-P6 Indian
7. datum baru :
NAD83 High Accuracy Reference Network
(HARN) PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT
OMAN SURVEY DATUM 1993 (PSD93)
8. proyeksi baru :
HARN Arizona Central (Feet)
HARN Arizona Central (Meters)
Idaho Transverse Mercator for NAD83
(IDTM83) Mississippi Transverse
Mercator (MSTM)
9. peningkatan performa inti

selain produk Ermapper Professional, produk lain yang diluncurkan meliputi ermapper image compressor, yaitu sebuah tool untuk melakukan kompresi untuk citra untuk lebih menghemat space media penyimpanan. Erviewer merupakan tool untuk memvisualisasikan data. image web server merupakan solusi enterprise untuk database citra. Image integration network, yaitu framework untuk pengembangan aplikasi berbasis ermapper dan pengintegrasian dengan tool lainnya. juga bagi pengguna produk ESRI, dan juga software imaging, serta GIAS lainnya, disediakan pula plugin gratis,sehingga anda dapat membuka file citra native format Ermapper, yaitu .ers

The GEOLAB project

A research proposal submitted to the CERS on March 31st,1995.

Contact: Pierre Dillenbourg


Abstract This project aims to develop an intelligent learning environment (ILE) for reservoir characterization, in particular the issue of volumetric uncertainty assessment. This difficult domain of geostatistics constitutes the core of the courses provided by our partner, FSS Consultants SA, a member of FSS International. This training generally is provided to main oil companies, but the same concepts and techniques do also concern water reservoir and risk assessment for toxic waste.

This project results from the congruence between the type of software developed by TECFA and the skills taught by FSS. In short, the characterization of petroleum reservoir requires a set of a complex skills whose acquisition heavily rely on experience. Therefore, a learning environment simulates a situation in which the trainee has to perform the same cognitive processes as in his future job. The best example of learning environment is a flight simulator. A learning environment is referred to as 'intelligent' when it includes an agent which can guide and advise the subject. This agent is generally implemented with artificial intelligence techniques.

Through this project FSS aims to maintain a training offer which is up-to-date both with respect to the content and the method. The ILE - called GEOLAB - will not substitute to courses, but enrich these courses and extend training beyond short sessions. This time extension is especially relevant because such complex skills cannot be learned in one week. Therefore, a key issue addressed in this project is the integration of the ILE with the existing lectures provided by FSS. We address this issue in two ways. On one hand, GEOLAB will contain and refer to the multimedia material presented during the lectures. For instance, when the user does some mistake, the system may show relevant parts of theory or analogous cases. On the other hand, GEOLAB will be articulated with the geostatistics software "FSS TOOLS" used by FSS for its training courses.


This project result from the convergence between scientific and commercial interests. We first present the motivation for FSS, and then compare it to our own scientific goals.

Over the last seven years, FSS International has established itself as a leader in the field of technical training and continuing education for the environmental and mining industry. For the oil industry alone, it has taught to over one thousand production geologists, petrophysicists, seismic interpreters and reservoir engineers how to apply geostatistical methods for analysing their data and developing numerical reservoir models. All the major oil companies (Shell, Mobil, Exxon, Esso, Amoco, Elf, Texaco, ...) have asked FSS International to provide in-house training, or have sent the professionals to FSS International public short courses. FSS offices are located in Calgary, Reno, Paris, Geneva, Vancouver and Sidney. For the project, the partner is FSS Consultants SA, the Swiss member of FSS International, directed by Dr. Roland Froidevaux.

Through the years, FSS International has endeavoured to constantly improve and adapt the courses in order to be responsive to the practical challenges of reservoir characterisation and to ensure that the training continues to present current improvement in methodology. This concern for innovation justifies FSS investment in this project. Another source of motivation for FSS is the possibility to extend training beyond short sessions. Currently, the longest training sessions delivered by FSS last five days, including lectures and workshops. Despite the fact that these sessions are very intensive, trainees would benefit from longer working sessions. GEOLAB will enable participants to pursue their training after the end of the training session. This continued education will not only increase the efficiency of the training provided by FSS, but also enable FSS to maintain a longer relationship with their customers.

TECFA is an multidisciplinary research unit in educational technology. Our motivation for this project is two-folded. One on hand, we want to transfer to real scale problems the techniques and prototypes developed in previous research projects. We acquired expertise in the field of 'intelligent learning environments', i.e. advanced educational software using artificial intelligence techniques. During this research, we paid attention to the generality of algorithms in order to support portability across domains. It is hence now our primary interest to test our previous work in a different field. The second interesting aspect for TECFA is the issue of integrating the ILE to be developed with existing lectures and workshops. Too often, designers have built systems without considering how they would be integrated in the existing courses. This lack of concern for integrating new software within existing activities has been detrimental to the development of educational technology.

Moreover, this project would lead TECFA members to play an innovative role in the Swiss community of training software ("Schweiz CBT"). TECFA belongs to this association and has published several papers in the association journal. Most training software we observed is 'superficially' interactive: designers include nice sounds and images, but do not pay enough attention to the cognitive activities of users. Nobody learns complex skills simply by answering questions. We hope that GEOLAB will convince developers to build richer interactive systems, or at least inform the companies who buy such systems that richer forms of interactivity can be developed.


This project belong to an multidisciplinary research field referred to as 'artificial intelligence and education'. P. Dillenbourg has conducted research in this field for 10 years at the universities of Mons (Belgium), Lancaster (UK) and Geneva. We use artificial intelligence (AI) techniques in educational software, not for the sake of using these techniques, but because they enable to conduct rich interactions with the learner. These rich interactions are necessary for the acquisition of complex problem solving skills (Dillenbourg & Martin-Michiellot, 1995). We developed MEMOLAB (Dillenbourg et al, 1994 a & b) within NPR23 program 'artificial intelligence and robotics'. This system teaches the design of psychological experiments on human memory. The system includes an artificial lab in which the learner designs and runs a psychological experiment. The simulation computes the results of the created experiments by extrapolating from the data obtained in similar published experiments (using case-based reasoning techniques). The learner builds the experiment in interaction with a computerized expert. These two agents work step by step together. The expert may disagree with the learner, undo his or her last action, ask for clarification, repair a mistake, and so forth. The learner may remove from the screen the objects created by the expert, ask him an explanation, ask him to continue, and so forth. In other words, the interaction is more flexible and is more symmetrical than in traditional expert systems. MEMOLAB and GEOLAB, the proposed system, reflect the current trends of research: a collaborative approach to learning, a decentralized architecture for systems and the integration of AI techniques with hypertext and multimedia components. (For more detailed information and references, please refer to the detailed research plan)


Research Plan

  1. Which skills are involved in reservoir characterization ? The pedagogical objective in GEOLAB is to train the learner to assess - or quantify- the uncertainty attached to any estimate of hydrocarbon reserve within a reservoir. The key issue for persons involved in reservoir management is not so much to know how much oil is in the reservoir than to describe the range of possible values, i.e. to characterize the uncertainty Srivastava, 1990; Froidevaux, 1992). Uncertainty assessment is a complex undertaking which requires skills in disciplines as different as geology, petrophysics, seismic interpretation and economics (Colin et al, 1995). On top that, because the objective is an assessment of uncertainty, the practitioners involved in this task must also be familiar with probabilistic and geostatistical concepts.

To illustrate this problem, let consider a typical dome shape reservoir (Figure 1). The total volume of this reservoir (which is the single most critical parameter for the reserve estimation) is given by the intersection of its top surface (in general corresponding to some stratigraphic or structural horizon) with an horizontal plane corresponding to the oil-water contact. These two surfaces (oil-water contact and top of structure) are known precisely at well location only. Elsewhere, they will have to be estimated, partly by extrapolating from the well locations, and partly by interpreting available seismic information. This estimation process involves a whole series of assumptions (on the spatial correlation, wave velocities, rock densities, etc...) and each of them is based on expert judgement, i.e. subjective.

As a consequence both surfaces are uncertain as to there exact location. Figure 1 illustrates two scenarios for each measure: two variations of the oil-water contact (OWC+ and OWC-) and two variations of the top of structure (TOS+ and TOS-). The impact of this uncertainty is severe on the resulting total volume: the volume corresponding to the optimistic case (light grey area) is in the order of three time bigger than the volume corresponding to the pessimistic case (dark grey area).In the decision-making process (should the oil field be developed or not), the manager will have to consider not only the most likely scenario, but also (and possibly especially) the pessimistic one. If the economics of this low case scenario are unfavourable enough, he may decide not to invest in the development of the reservoir, although the estimated reserves (most likely scenario) were promising. Uncertainty characterization, therefore is a crucial element in reservoir management and an improper assessment of it may lead to huge financial losses, either by being too pessimistic (rejection of a good prospect) and foregoing revenues, or by being to optimistic and sinking capital cost in a project that will never be economic.

It is clear therefore that the characterization uncertainty is not a trivial task which can be learned on the fly. And since it is not a topic normally found in academic curricula for earth sciences, oil companies rely more and more on in-house professional training to make sure that their key personnel has the required level of familiarity with probabilistic and geostatistical concepts necessary for taking decision in face of uncertainty. Training professionals at characterizing uncertainty fits the approach and systems developed at TECFA for the acquisition of complex problem solving skill. The adjective 'complex' refers to the four following aspects of the task described above:

    • A complex task involves heterogeneous pieces of knowledge.

Uncertainty characterization requires familiarity with a series of concepts and techniques, which form the framework of applied geostatistics. Among the key concepts are the notions of spatial correlation, of prior and posterior distributions (Bayesian theory), of loss functions, of fuzzy variables, etc... The tools offered by geostatistics, and which are based on these concepts, can be subdivided into two broad categories: estimation tools and simulation tools, each category being further subdivided between parametric or non-parametric techniques. These concepts and techniques are currently taught at FSS International short courses, and will be progressively integrated, through problem solving in GEOLAB.

    • A complex task creates an important cognitive load.

The learner must maintain simultaneously in working memory all the elements necessary to solve the problem. The GEOLAB system will help to reduce the cognitive load in two ways. On one hand, the computation will not be performed by the learner, but by FSS TOOLS. On the other hand, the learner will use a 'progress pad' in which she will note intermediate results or decisions.

    • A complex task implies strategic decision making

Characterizing uncertainty does not reduce to a single 'cookbook recipe'. It relies on heuristic knowledge to select the appropriate technique given the specifics of the problem at hand. For instance the problem of 'merging' direct and indirect information (well data and seismic data) may be addressed by half a dozen of techniques at least. The selection of the appropriate one will depends on the amount of direct information available, the nature of the seismic information (whether it is a high or low frequency attribute) and whether some other external constraints should be applied or not. One of the critical issue is the amount of 'expertise' injected in the process. As the amount of direct (conditioning) information decreases, one has to rely more and more on a-priori assumptions from the experts.

    • A complex task often involves uncertain data

The challenge of uncertainty characterization is to come up with a probabilistic description of potential errors. By definition, this distribution can never be verified experimentally. If one could live long enough, one could hope to know what is the 'true' volume of the reservoir. And since one knows also what his estimated value was, one can establish what the error is. But one cannot build a distribution of errors from a single one! Because of the impossibility to check a-posteriori the assessment of uncertainty, the only way to exercise quality control is to be critical on the assumptions made and on the methodology adopted.

  1. Why is an ILE relevant for reservoir characterization ? There exists a large variety of educational software (or courseware): frame-based software, drill-and-practice, simulation, tutoring, coaching, micro-world, learning environment, ... and intelligent learning environment. These different names indicate that the system supports different types of learning activities. For instance, a frame-based software is a scenario of questions and answers, while a drill-&-practice includes large series of exercises. A learning environment generally provides a simulated world (in the spirit of a flight simulator) in which the learner has to solve the problems by trials and errors. One adds the qualifier 'intelligent' when the learning environment includes a computerized agent able to solve the same problems as the learner (Clancey, 1987) and hence to interact with the learner during problem solving (for a review, see Wenger, 1987).

Each category of software has its defenders and its disclaimers. It is pointless to argue that a category is better than another. The real question is to assess whether the learning activities of some program correspond to the objectives fixed by the designer. We argue here that intelligent learning environments are best suited to teach such complex problem solving skills such as those selected for this project (Dillenbourg et al., 1994b).

    • ILEs provide learners with experience

Jumbo pilots are not trained (only) with books, nor by answering simple questions. Traditional educational software, based on questions and answers, is suited to the acquisition of declarative knowledge, for instance the basic terminology of the field. One can teach simple skills, like computing a mean, with a simple 'drill and practice' courseware. But, for complex skills such as conducting an aircraft or reservoir characterization, it is not enough to know concepts or procedures. The trainee has to solve step-by-step the problems she will face during her career. She must be allowed to explore a problem, try some solutions, observe the consequences of her actions, and do it again until she gets the right solution. An ILE provides the learner with experience and experience is the best way to acquire complex problem solving skills .

    • ILEs facilitate transfer .

Jumbo pilots are not trained on helicopters! Learners often fails to transfer to real life the skills taught in courseware. This difficulty reduces dramatically the system efficiency, since the ultimate goal is not that the learner simply masters the course (post-test scores), but it becomes better in her work (Dillenbourg et al, 1990). When a subject learns how to solve problems from a class of problems P, many teachers or designers expect him to transfer spontaneously his skills to P', a set of problems viewed as similar by the teacher. Often, this does not work, because the difference between P and P' involves some implicit knowledge that the designer may not be aware of, but which prevents the learner to reuse the acquired knowledge. Jumbo Pilots of Airbus 320 are trained on an Airbus 320 and not on another plane, even similar. In the case of flight simulators, the learning environment reproduces as much as possible the physical features of the real workplace. In our domain, we restrict ourselves to a cognitive fidelity: the environment has not to reproduce the exact features of the future trainee's workplace, but it must require the same cognitive processes.

    • ILEs simplify temporarily the world.

If a learning environment is as complex as the real world, it may miss its educational purpose: the learner may simply be overloaded by the number of things (s)he must think or do simultaneously. Hence, a learning environment should offer the possibility to simplify temporarily the problem. For instance, the system WHY (Frederiksen and White, 1988) includes three different worlds. In the last world, learner have to solve electricity problems with the Ohm laws. But, in the first world , the learner may conduct simple qualitative reasoning (current or not), and then move to the second world reasoning is semi-quantitative (increase/decrease of resistance, ...). In other words, a learning environment must support a temporary and adaptive simplification of the real world.

    • ILEs include interactions with experienced agents

Even a simplified world may reveal to be too complex for the learner. In complex problems such as those mentioned here, it may be poorly efficient to leave the learner trying a thousand different solutions. She may never come out with a solution if she does not receive the guidance from a more experienced partner. Future pilots use flight simulators under the supervision of experienced pilots who can explain what they did wrong and suggest a better approach. Even if learning complex skills is primarily based on individual experience, it cannot be accomplished without interaction with more experienced partners. A learning environment is called 'intelligent' when the software includes a computational agent (or 'expert') able to interact with the learner during problem solving: to make suggestions, criticisms, ... To conduct such interactions, the agent must himself be able to solve the problems submitted to the learner. These agents are implemented with artificial intelligence techniques, namely knowledge-based systems. However, the technology of expert systems is not fully appropriated to educational purposes. Most expert systems reason independently from the user, who simply provides the initial data and receives later the results with some explanation. TECFA has adapted these techniques to make the expert system more interactive (Dillenbourg et al, 1995).

  1. Integrating GEOLAB with current FSS courses The complex skills described above result from the integration of various pieces of knowledge: concepts, principles, examples and counter-examples, procedures, rules of thumb, ... We previously argued that these various pieces have to be integrated into a complex skill by experience and interaction. Nevertheless, the basic concepts and techniques have to be mastered before. For instance, a future pilot learns the basic procedures and the reading of instruments before to get into a flight simulator. These knowledge grounds have to be acquired before using GEOLAB, during FSS training sessions, through lectures and workshops. These courses introduce learners to the key concepts and techniques in geostatistics and illustrate them with case studies. The critical issue is the degree of integration between these lectures and GEOLAB. We plan to achieve this integration in two ways:
    • Integrating GEOLAB with the multi-media material used in lectures

FSS lectures heavily rely upon multi-media material, mostly fixed schema and pictures (slides), but also short video scenes (especially for case studies). We plan to create links between the expert's knowledge base and this material. We applied a similar approach in the MEMOLAB system described above. We then faced the issue to connect a learning environment with an hypertext including some theory about human memory and the methodology of research. The explanations provided by the expert in MEMOLAB include links to the hypertext, simply presented as buttons in the explanation text. If the learner selects the links, she obtains more detailed information on the particular point of the explanation. She is not supposed to browse all the hypertext, but to access more directly to some information she needs to solve the problem. We aim to apply to same idea to the system to be implemented. The expert rules will be connected to the material presented during the lectures. The various elements of this material will themselves be connected among each other in such a way that the learner can browse it around his or her entry point.

    • Integrating GEOLAB with the working environment

FSS short courses are structured around lectures and workshops. The latter are based on a software called FSS TOOLS, a widespread software for geostatitics developed by FSS. This system is not a training software, but a set of tools for spatial data analysis and modelling. They include exploratory data analysis and modelling estimation (kriging, cokriging, etc...) and simulation (multi gaussian simulation and indicator simulation). Since these tools are an inherent part of the problem solution, it is highly desirable to develop the ILE around this existing software. This has strong technical implications on the implementation of the ILE: the ILE will be programmed as a module to plug on FSS TOOLS, instead of as a closed and independent system. This corresponds to the evolution of research on ILEs. Most ILEs so far have been implemented as closed system, often in Lisp or Prolog. This was the case for MEMOLAB. This method is not optimal because Lisp and Prolog, even recent releases, are less powerful than other tools to build interactions with the user. The current evolution in ILEs is to restrict AI tools to the implementation of the expert module. This also fits with a global trend in micro-computing, to increase the connectivity between applications, through DLL's, XCMDs, Apple Events, and so forth.

Given these specifications, GEOLAB will be developed will different tools (in the Windows environment):

      • Since "FSS Tools" is written in C, all domain-specific pieces of codes to be added will be written in the same language.
      • The user interface will be written in Visual C++, which is more powerful to develop and test highly interactive applications.
      • The rule-based agents will be written in CLIPS, a domain-public expert system shell developed by the NASA and written in C. CLIPS uses forward chaining which may be a limitation in some cases but fits with the techniques developed in MEMOLAB (which on a forward chaining object oriented production system).
      • The hypertext component will be developed with MOSAIC .
  1. The generic scenario

The scenario involves three agents, the learner, an experienced colleague who is expert in the domain and a manager who provides them with problems and ask for results. The expert and the manager will be implemented as knowledge-based systems, with CLIPS. The learner has two tools available, a 'calculator' which is an interface to FSS TOOLS and a 'progress pad' , in which the learner fill structured progress reports, store the data computed with FSS tools and add any additional comment. The tools will be implemented with Visual C++. The scenario is structured around four progress meetings. The structure of these meetings will be reflected in the 'progress pad' that the learner will fill in during problem solving. In each of these meeting, the manager and the learner interact about the state of the problem. The scenario starts by a first meeting where the problem is set.

1. Presentation of the data, the reservoir features (location, ...).

2. Identification of critical issues. Results of exploratory data analysis. Strategical decision.

3. Selection of the probabilistic modes

4. Local uncertainty characterization

5. Review of results (uncertainty of reserves)

This scenario is generic, which means that the same scenario applies to different case studies, stored in a database of problems. If one separates the scenario from the problems, new interesting cases can be added, especially cases which are specific to the company to which the course is delivered. Tailoring the problem to the specific cases of the company has been a factor of success for the in-house training provided by FSS.

The scenario is extensible to other agents. We envisage the possibility to have human experts from FSS to interact with learners after the session via electronic mail or more recent synchronous tools such as the MOOs. This component is however not part of this current project.

  1. Research agenda
    • Phase 1 Knowledge engineering (TECFA: 12 men-month, FSS: 3 men-month)

Recording protocols of experts doing reservoir characterization (alone and in pairs)

Interviewing experts doing reservoir characterization

Modelling the knowledge used by experts (rulebase)

Modelling the most frequent mistakes performed by learners, according to the teaching experience of FSS experts.

Building the interactive expert system with CLIPS

Validating the system behaviour with human experts.

    • Phase 2 Multimedia acquisition (TECFA: 3 men-month, FSS: 3 men-month)

Improving the multimedia material used in FSS training sessions

Increasing the multimedia material: adding video reports from oil exploitation area, recording videotapes for critical explanations provided in lectures.

Organising the multimedia into an hypertext accessible from the ILE and browsable by the learner (with MOSAIC)

Connecting the multimedia material to the expert knowledge (adding hypertext links to the rules)

    • Phase 3 Developing GEOLAB (TECFA: 6 men-month, FSS: 3 men-month)

Creating a database of problems.

Implementing the 'progress pad' (with Visual C++).

Implementing the 'calculator', i.e. the interface with FSS Tools (with Visual C++).

Implementing the manager which conducts progress meetings (with CLIPS).

Implementing the interface between the learner and the expert (with Visual C++).

Implementing the interface between the learner and the manager (with Visual C++).

    • Phase 4 Experimentation (TECFA: 3 men-month, FSS: 3 men-month)

Experimenting the first release of GEOLAB, with individual subjects

Modification of the system according to these first observations

Experimenting GEOLAB during FSS courses

References

  • Clancey, W.J. (1987). Knowledge-Based Tutoring: the GUIDON Program, Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
  • Colin, P. Froidevaux, R. Garcia, M. Nicoletis, S. (1995) "Integrating Geophysical Data for Mapping the Contamination of Industrial Sites by Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: A Geostatistical Approach", in Geostatistics for Environmental and Geotechnical Applications, ASTM STP 1238.
  • Dillenbourg P. (1994) Evolution ŽpistŽmologique en EIAO. Sciences et Techniques Educatives. 1 (1), 39-52.
  • Dillenbourg P., Hilario M., Mendelsohn P. & Schneider D. (1990) Training transfer: A bridge between the theory-oriented and product-oriented approaches of ITS design. Actes du Second Congrs EuropŽen "Multi-Media, Intelligence Artificielle et Formation" (APPLICA-90). Lille (France), septembre 1990
  • Dillenbourg P., Mendelsohn P & Schneider D. (1994 a) The distribution of pedagogical roles in an intelligent learning environment. In B. Lewis and P. Mendelsohn (Eds) Lessons From Learning (pp. 199-216). Amsterdam: North-Holland (IFIP).
  • Dillenbourg P., Mendelsohn P., Schneider D. & Borcic B. (1994) Intelligent Learning Environment. In R. Bless (Ed.) Proceedings of the Second NRP23 Symposium on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (pp. 57-74). Swiss National Science Foundation.
  • Dillenbourg, P., & Martin-Michiellot, S. (1995) Intelligence artificielle et formation. CBT Forum, 1/95, pp 6-10.
  • Dillenbourg, P., & Self, J.A. (1992) A computational approach to socially distributed cognition. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 3 (4), 353-372. Fredericksen, J.R. & White, B.Y. (1988) Intelligent Learning Environments for Science Education. Proceedings of the International Conference on Intelligent Tutoring Systems (pp. 250-257), June 1-3. Montreal, Canada.
  • Froidevaux, R. (1992) "Probability Field Simulation", 4th International Geostatistics Congress, Troia, Portugal.
  • Srivastava, R.M. (1990) "An Application of Geostatistical Methods for Risk Analysis in Reservoir Managment", SPE paper 20608.
  • Wenger, E (1987) Artificial Intelligence and Tutoring Systems: Computational and Cognitive Approaches to the Communication of Knowledge. Los Altos, CA: Morgan Kaufmann

Minggu, 18 Januari 2009

Using GIS to Manage Precious Natural Resources





Our world's most precious natural resources are in shorter supply than ever before. As such, geologists and software engineers are currently rethinking how geospatial technologies can lead to better asset management. The Oil & Gas sector has decided to focus on the management of coordinate reference system (CRS) metadata to augment the sector's ability to capture data related to the management and exploration of oil. Like many things geospatial, interoperability is playing a key role in these solutions.

Galdos Systems, Inc., Shell International Exploration and Production, and the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (OGP) have joined forces to harness the power of open location technologies to develop a geodetic registry — a Web registry of geodetic parameters consisting of CRS definitions and definitions of transformations between these CRSs.

Getting Coordinated
"Location, Location, Location" is the key to resource management as much as it is to real estate. Drill a pilot well in the wrong place, and you could be looking at tens of millions of dollars (USD) in investment with little or no chance to recover costs.


Drill a pilot well in the wrong place, and you could be looking at tens of millions of dollars (USD) in investment with little or no chance to recover costs.

Given its importance, how is location appropriately determined and recorded? How do we ensure that the diversity of measurements used in locating the drilling rig all make sense relative to one another? The answer lies in understanding and relating all of the different CRSs that are used to document position.

In the age of GPS, many believe that only latitude, longitude, and elevation are needed, and that it isn't necessary to give thought to how those numbers are obtained. In reality, however, these values are not unique; they depend on which CRS, or earth model, is used to calculate them. In addition to GPS (which relies on the World Geodetic System (WGS) 84), a large number of other CRSs are being used in many different countries and regions. The variety reflects historical, legal, and technical influences, as well as specific requirements for accuracy. Thousands of datasets have been created and are routinely maintained in formats and CRSs that reflect this diversity.

Now, consider drilling an exploration hole below the surface of the sea based on knowledge of the subsurface rock structures obtained from seismic data. The intent is to 'explore' for oil or gas deposit by drilling into a rock formation several kilometers below the seabed, which may itself be some 500 meters below the drilling rig. The location of the drilling rig is likely determined using GPS, but GPS relies on a ground-based reference station (for example, DGPS) to improve the accuracy of the position measurement. The location of the GPS antenna on board the rig must then be referenced to a point on the drill shaft at the height of the work floor of the rig. From there, the drill bit needs to be steered to its subsurface target. The entire well trajectory, or borehole, is ultimately determined relative to the surface position of the drilling rig.

The observations of well-logging equipment are also related to positions along the borehole. Typical well logs report information on rock type, porosity, permeability, and fluid-bearing characteristics of the rock material as a function of distance along the borehole. For some purposes, knowledge of this information relative to the hole is sufficient, but if other wells exist nearby and are penetrating the same reservoir, the relative positions of those wells with respect to the seismic data is important. Understanding this information permits geologists to build a continuous model of the rock layers by integrating seismic and well data. The absolute positions of the wells, seismic data, and other relevant geoinformation are all paramount to accurate location determination.

Data Integration is Key
Most GIS systems and other geospatial software incorporate internal CRS definitions, which are wrapped in the actual GIS software code. In other words, it is a very tightly coupled system. The problem is, the reference system definitions themselves are largely based on proprietary data. As a result, there are often conflicts — and even errors — that arise when comparing one GIS database to another.

In June 1994, the European Petroleum Survey Group (EPSG), a professional communication forum composed of the survey departments of the major oil companies, published a list of CRSs that are used in the oil industry around the world in order to share standard CRS definitions and related information. This dataset is now offered in the form of a Microsoft Access database. In 2005, the EPSG was absorbed by OGP and now includes all major oil & gas companies worldwide. However, the dataset has retained 'EPSG' as its brand name.

Today, OGP is in the process of replacing the Microsoft Access database with an online dictionary of CRSs based on the Indicio Web registry supplied by Galdos Systems. This project is part of OGP's application to the International Standards Organization (ISO) to obtain ISO accreditation for the EPSG dataset. To address the requirements for this effort, Shell International Exploration and Production B.V (located in the Netherlands) worked with Galdos Systems' Professional Engineering Services department to develop a geodetic registry for both freely accessible and private geodetic parameters, based on the Galdos INdicio Web Registry Service (WRS).

The purpose of these efforts is to create single access points for public and private CRS definitions and related geodetic information. The public geodetic registry allows oil & gas companies and many other organizations to freely access useful CRS definitions. The private geodetic registry can provide companies such as Shell with a system to better manage their private data. Given the value of oil these days, it's not hard to imagine how important it is to ensure that such data be kept secure and accurate.

Galdos management and the fourteen international oil companies that actively support this project believe that an interoperable geodetic registry will help facilitate better decision making in the oil & gas industry. Perhaps this infrastructure will even make the difference between finding oil and sinking an expensive dry well.

The Role of Oasis eBRIM, OGC Catalogue Specification
The geodetic registry being deployed by Shell and the OGP is based on the Galdos INdicio WRS. The WRS is a new OGC specification — actually, it's a profile of the OGC Catalogue 2.0 specification that employs the OASIS ebRIM (eBusiness Registry Information Model. In this context, ebRIM provides the foundation model for capturing geodetic information. This includes classification schemes or taxonomies, packages, and associations.

The INdicio Geodetic Registry is machine readable and writable over the Internet. Such functionality enables users to freely develop and maintain new CRS definitions and share them immediately with their counterparts worldwide. INdicio is sophisticated and provides high-level descriptions of each CRS, with details expressed in Geography Markup Language (GML). The end result is that the registry can deliver complete GML CRS definitions for any of the hundreds of CRSs used routinely in the oil & gas industry today. In turn, users are provided with robust search capabilities, wherein they are able to search by classification, identifiers, and other parameters.

A further strength of INdicio is its ability to capture and maintain relationships (associations) between the CRS definition and other information objects. For example, one can easily associate a CRS with a drilling project, a seismic exploration dataset, or the drilling project with the company that drilled the well. Managing associations in this manner enhances the value of the CRS definition and ensures greater certainty for any of the associated data items.

INdicio also supports a number of security features, including an audit trail and support for user/organization-defined security policies that determine who has what type of access to a given data record. This enables the INdicio registry to be securely managed over the Internet.

Degree of Certainty — Data Insurance
As we have noted, oil & gas exploration involves the integration of hundreds, even thousands, of pieces of data in a variety of CRSs. Each piece of data will, in part, be expressed using a coordinate or coordinates that link the data to some reference point or reference surface. Without that link, knowledge of the coordinate value(s) alone is more or less worthless. It's not very helpful for someone to know that your house is 5 kilometers from somewhere. Therefore, the certainty of the CRS used (including the correct parameter values) is directly connected to the value of the data. INdicio greatly enhances the certainty of what is stated about the data, and this 'data insurance' is itself a valuable asset in any oil & gas exploration activity.

More than Exploration
While we've discussed the CRS registry in the context of oil & gas exploration, CRSs are of equal importance to oil & gas transportation systems and to the management of the vast physical assets required for oil & gas exploration and development. As in exploration, these activities demand the integration of diverse types of geospatial information, including equipment location, land ownership, exploration tenures and leases, shipping regulations, and a wide variety of environmental data. Much like exploration, many CRSs are used, and the ability to correctly identify and use these systems is a critical part of data integration.

Future Developments
Sharing data is as important as creating and maintaining it. To enhance data sharing, it is often necessary to transform data from one coordinate system to another and to keep track of these transformations. Specifications for such transformation services are being developed at the OGC and the ISO. Integration with Web-accessible CRS registries is a natural next step. This will greatly ease the task of automated data integration.

Appropriate management of CRSs is important to any company competing in the natural resources market. While many organizations, like OGP, offer a public dataset for their member companies, at the same time, these very companies are creating their own independent private CRSs. Such localized proliferation can contribute to complexity across any industry. Today, there is a strong market requirement for Geodetic Registries to manage this complexity — not only for the Oil & Gas sectors but also for any organization attempting to better manage their assets in a location-dependent fashion.

In summary, accurate location is critical to natural resource companies. This depends not only on accurate measurements systems, but also on the degree of certainty that the measured coordinates are referenced or understood with respect to the right CRS. Errors can mean the difference between an oil find and a dry well.

MapInfo Geographic Information System : Data Assistant

Data Assistant is a multipurpose data management extension to MapInfo Professional. It enables users to query, update or delete data in a table from within MapInfo, without needing to know the rigors of the MapInfo SQL language.

Data Assistant has predefined queries and updates to make data management in MapInfo easier. This includes a series of validation queries, object selection queries and character column updates such as find and replace. Alternatively, you can write queries and updates specific to your needs.

Where appropriate, each predefined query and update allows the selected table to be filtered prior to performing the operation.

The querying facility is comprised of the categories:

· Quick Queries

· Quick Sort

· Select Objects

· Data Validation

· Query Wizard

The table maintenance facility is comprised of the categories:

· Quick Updates

· Table Updates in general

· Table Cleanup

· Create Table

Data Assistant requires MapInfo® Professional 4.5 or later with Microsoft Windows® 95/98/NT/2000 or later.

Download an evaluation version of Data Assistant (2.3 MB)

After downloading, unzip and run Setup.exe. To use Data Assistant, select File > Run MapBasic Program, navigate to the installation directory (C:\Program Files\Data Assistant, by default), and select Data Assistant.mbx. This download includes a user manual and help file.

The evaluation version will run 50 times prior to timeout.

Download the Data Assistant Help File (198 KB)