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| ALL-LLC staff assisted the Florida Geological Survey with their Class II UIC Primacy Application and data migration from existing data tracking systems to RBDMS! | The Montana Board of Oil & Gas Conservation uses RBDMS to track drilling samples that are stored in the board's on-site warehouse in Billings, Montana. ALL-LLC staff provided support in development of a custom system for tracking this information as well as migration of data from legacy systems. |
Arthur Langhus Layne - LLC offers a variety of custom RBDMS services to both government and industry. These services range from training and certification programs to full-scale enterprise level implementation projects.
Mark Layne/ALL-LLC and Jim Halvorson/MBOGC work together
on
a log analysis issue at the MBOGC's office in Billings, Montana.
ALL staff has spent considerable time assisting the Montana Board of Oil & Gas Conservation (MBOGC) with a variety of issues, including RBDMS. ALL staff have performed tasks ranging from database administration to installation of Windows NT Components to installation and setup of the board's data management system to technical program support. ALL staff have also worked with MBOGC staff with regard to well reconciliation efforts for major ownership transfers of more than 1,000 wells.
A general update of RBDMS activity by the MBOGC is included at the MBOGC's web site.
Implementation of RBDMS
by the Kansas Corporation Commission
The Kansas Corporation Commission’s (KCC’s) Oil & Gas Conservation Division (OGCD) currently maintains the largest RBDMS dataset of any state agency. With approximately 340,000 existing well records, 3,000 annual intents-to-drill issued, combined with active UIC and well plugging programs, the KCC’s OGCD uses more than 80 professionals to care for applicable activities in the state. Ever changing environmental regulations have also complicated Division activities and workflows. And, with decreases in oil and gas production throughout the state, the Division required new tools that would allow staff to perform duties more efficiently and effectively.
A customized Client/Server version of RBDMS was chosen as the solution. Beyond the basic version of RBDMS, the KCC’s OGCD has historically maintained a variety of data that had to be added to RBDMS. Furthermore, prior to RBDMS implementation, the KCC did not maintain a comprehensive dataset for the entire state. Rather, data was maintained by individuals, other agencies, or data vendors. Implementation of RBDMS in Kansas, therefore, included conversion and migration of data from more than a dozen different databases into a single dataset maintained in RBDMS! This comprehensive data set facilitates data evaluations such as area of review analysis, AOR Variance analysis, etc.
To address functional requirements, numerous new components were developed specifically for the KCC’s OGCD. These included data entry forms for intents (Form ACO-1), completion reports (Form C-1), Plugging Plans (Form CP-1), Technician's Plugging Report (Form CP-2/3), Final Plugging Record (Form CP-4), data entry and maintenance of KCC OGCD hearing records, entry and maintenance of UIC Dockets, UIC Permits (or Docket) maintenance, and a comprehensive multi-function UIC data entry form. Other existing RBDMS forms were modified to meet the unique functional requirements of the KCC.
In addition to development of new components and modification of existing forms and reports, several new utilities were developed as part of Kansas’ implementation of RBDMS. Two of these include an expanded owner/operator transfer utility and new utilities that allow users to dynamically update well data based on UIC permit modifications (i.e., updating the maximum allowable injection pressure on all wells within an area permit).
Further, two stand-alone Visual Basic programs were created to address needs related to the UIC program and the state’s effort to address concerns of potential new federal regulations concerning underground injection. The first program is a tool that can be used to assess the Zone of Endangering Influence (ZOEI). The second is an Area of Review (AOR) Variance Questionnaire (AorVarQ). The AorVarQ program includes logic and documentation developed by the GWPC for evaluating AOR Variances.
To further complicate matters, the KCC maintains several separate data management systems that include data required for use in RBDMS (e.g., Operator Licensing). To address this issue, ALL staff worked with KCC staff to develop interfaces that could be used to fully integrate RBDMS.
The KCC implementation of RBDMS resides as a Client/Server application connecting Microsoft Access to SQL Server using ODBC technology. ALL staff performed software installation, system optimization analysis, and addressed System Administrator functions such as security, backups, etc. This custom system may now be accessed by more than 80 users in five separate offices as well as other remote users.
ALL Staff assist the Michigan Geological Survey
Dan Arthur works with representatives of the Michigan
Geological Survey's Permit & Bonding Unit.
The MDEQ's Geological Survey Division maintains responsibility for oil & gas production, underground injection and mineral wells, as well as other activities in the state of a geologic nature. The MDEQ undertook a custom development effort in 1997 that was recently completed. The development effort was structured to address specific functional requirements of the GSD. Dan Arthur, President of ALL, managed this project and served as the lead designer for the system.
Some of the areas addressed are presented below:
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Well Permits and Bonding: The GSD required that a new Application and bonding system be developed to meet their custom needs. Some of the attributes of this system include the ability to store detailed proposed completion information for a proposed well, tracking of associated application field inspections, providing for formal and detailed bond tracking, bond history tracking, and bond transfer requirements; |
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Production and Proration: The GSD records production by Production Reporting Unit (PRU). Production may be submitted monthly or annually, or using an alternate frequency if authorized by the Director. Further, the GSD specifies allowables for prorated fields, units or specific wells. The GSD also records production reported from the operator, oil purchaser, and gas gatherer. Reconciliations between reported production and sales will be required. The Michigan information system (MIR2000) included an entirely new production and proration system over the existing RBDMS system |
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Field Activities: The MIR2000 system includes a variety of field activity components, including a custom facility tracking system, and custom inspection modules for application field notes, permit field notes, facility field notes, and complaints. There are also other attributes included. |
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Compliance: The MIR2000 compliance system was developed from scratch for the GSD to meet their detailed needs. The new compliance system allows for tracking enforcement actions on combinations of individual or groups of wells as well as for facilities (e.g., tank batteries). The system is quite complex and offers a variety of tools and capabilities. |
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Subsurface Geology: To address well completion reports generated by the GSD, tracking of "Records Due", and detailed well activity and history tracking, a number of new features we built for the GSD in this area. |
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Microsoft Excel Production Tool: Mark Layne and Roy Arthur of ALL-LLC developed an tool developed in Microsoft Excel and programmed with Visual Basic that allows importing and manipulation of production data. The tool imports production data for a PRU and automatically generates 6 pre-formatted graphs that can be forwarded via email or other means. |
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GIS Interface Test System: One aspect of the MIR2000 project was the development of a GIS interface for MIR2000. An experimental interface was developed using an ActiveX control that is imbedded into a Microsoft Access form. The beta is currently being used by the GSD and Real Estate Division. |
The above only presents a portion of what was done in the MIR2000 development project. For more information regarding the MIR2000 project, contact ALL!
RBDMS implementation in Arkansas has taken a path that has required cooperation from multiple state agencies and the U.S. EPA in Region VI. In this case, ALL staff developed a custom version of RBDMS for use by both the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and the Arkansas Oil & Gas Conservation Commission. The system includes a GIS interface, UIC graphical data analysis tool, oil & gas production tool that facilitates tracking of production data by well or lease, and many other components customized for these agencies. In addition, Dr. Mark Layne developed an RBDMS replication tool that allows the two agencies to share data.
Check back soon for information on Alabama's custom information. In the mean time, you can contact Mark Layne of ALL-LLC for more detailed information.
Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ): ODEQ has been using RBDMS since September 1996 for tracking Class I, III, and V type injection wells. Custom components of the ODEQ 32-bit version of RBDMS include a graphical data analysis module, Class I inspection module, injection well monitoring data reports, and a data transfer system. The ODEQ is currently considering migrating from MS Access95 to MS Access97. ODEQ is the first state to use RBDMS for tracking Class I, III, and V type well activities.