The International Petrodata (IPL) File
International Petrodata (IPL) File was created in 1963 in cooperation with 12 of the Petroleum Industry’s major exploration and development companies who recognized the need for a complete, accurate, and high quality source of well data.
Each of the original companies contributed $250,000, three professionals (primarily geologists) and all of their source information for well data on the first 45,000 wells. Over a 2-year period, a team of 36 professionals laid down a precise and demanding set of quality control rules that every single piece of data had to meet before it could be added to The Petrodata File.
IHS acquired the Petrodata file in December 2003.Today, it is the industry’s only database that is created from the original source documents (not scouted or digital government data). Whenever possible, our data capture policy is to use the most original and reliable source documents available to increase the accuracy of the data. It is this attention to detail that continues to make The Petrodata File unique and distinguished in the industry.
Our IPL Customer Support Team is dedicated to ensuring that clients’ questions and concerns are addressed and resolved. The core members of the team each have a minimum of 20 years of experience in the oil & gas industry. Knowledge of the data and the industry is a critical factor in providing responsive solutions.
Our data entry technicians, geologists, and quality assurance analyst play an integral role in ensuring all information meets the highest standards. Extensive data editing takes place whereby logical data errors that occur as a result of encoding or misreporting are detected by the computer.
All formation tops are picked by our geologists based on a grid of over 800 regional cross sections for Western Canada. This allows our clients to make quick decisions in new areas by providing more accurate database queries and maps.
Finally, industry experts and clients are consulted where interpretation can be the deciding force in making the correct data decisions.
IPL has a complete hardcopy library of the original source documents on every well drilled in Western Canada and the Frontier Areas. The visual re-examination of these documents is key in being able to respond to data discrepancies. The majority of issues are resolved over the phone or in our next update. Client feedback and attention to the changing needs of our customers is an important part of maintaining and enhancing the quality of The Petrodata File.
The Petrodata file is created from original source documents that are reviewed and compared to capture the most accurate data available. Please refer to our FAQs for more specific details on the Petrodata file.
Coverage and Data Types
The Petrodata file has extensive coverage in the entire Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, the Yukon, Northern Territories, High Arctic, and East Coast Offshore for comprehensive information including:
- General Well Data
- Licensing & Location
- Status Histories
- Casing Summary
- Workovers
- Initial Production Tests
- Completions
- Drill Stem Tests
- Logs Run
- Formation Tops
- True Vertical Tops
- Porous Intervals
- Core Analyses Data
- Fluid Analyses Data (oil, gas, water)
- Directional Survey Data
Data Delivery and Updates
The Petrodata Network was built in 1995 based on demand for access to The Petrodata file through an open systems solution. The Petrodata Network is comprised of a number of large database servers that are connected to our customers over high-speed fibre optic lines, ADSL lines and VPN over the Internet. The databases are updated on a weekly basis, with new licenses added daily. The Petrodata file is also available on either a weekly or monthly basis in standard PPDM 3.2 or PPDM 2.3 format.
FAQs
The following is a list of frequently asked questions regarding the Petrodata file and their corresponding answers. If you don't find the answer you are looking for, please Contact Us.
How are formation age codes determined?
Click Here to view the Formation Age Codes file.
When you report a well with a formation top of 0, what does that mean? Is the top missing, eroded out, not picked?
A '0' depth for the top depth is a convention we use to show that we know the formation exists but we cannot accurately pick the top because it is behind casing.
When I query the database on the operator, I sometimes get a suspicious number of hits?
In Alberta, the AEUB supplies an Operator code along with the production data. This Operator, however, is the operator of the battery that the well produces to. We carry this operator through to the well header record also. Wells not producing to a battery will have a null value and, of course, wells that have never produced will be null. The more appropriate field to query may be the Licensee field in the well header record. This field should be thoroughly populated in the well header record in Alberta.
Some wells that we operate in South-Eastern Saskatchewan seem to have their bottom hole locations in error?
This is possible with some current wells, especially deviated and horizontal wells. When wells are initially licensed, the bottom hole UWI (Unique Well Identifier) is assigned or projected, but the well after drilling may actually bottom in another location. In the case that the well bottoms in a different LSD or section, a well amendment must be issued. The bottom hole location is projected on many of the well-site surveys. This location may not hold up once the well is completed drilling, particularly in the case of horizontal wells. Our policy is to spot the well in the middle of the projected LSD. Once we receive the deviation survey, we can more accurately spot the final location of the bottom hole. In some cases, there is a significant lag in the time from when the well is drilled and surveyed to the time we receive the directional survey; this may account for some of the discrepancies. Please feel free to call our support department to report any data issues you may have at 403.770.4500.
Can you explain, by province, the breakdown of pool codes?
We frequently get questions on how we designate our pool codes. The attached diagram will help you to cross-reference the IPL pool code with the Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan government pool codes. Again, please Contact Us if you would like a further explanation.
Alberta: E.G. A 0043 0310001 Alderson, Lower Mannville 'A'
Column 1: Province designation, A = Alberta
Column 2-5: AEUB Field Code 0043 = Alderson
Column 6-12: AEUB 7 Digit Pool Code 0310001 = Lower Mannville 'A' where 3100 = AEUB Formation Code = Lower Mannville 01 = Pool Sequence Number = 'A'
NOTE: The field-pool code combination is required because the 7-digit AEUB pool code is not unique. In the following example: columns 1-5 are different, yet columns 6-12 are the same.
A00890251760 Auburndale Colony N & Sparky C
A02160251760 Chisholm Upper Mannville L & Glauconitic C
Saskatchewan: E.G. S 02311 07 Mudie Lake Colony Gas
Column 1: Province designation, S = Saskatchewan
Column 3-6: SEM Formation Code, 2311 = Colony
Column 7-8: Pool Sequence Number
British Columbia: E.G. B0 1500 01 Dunvegan 'A'
Column 1: Province designation, B = B.C.
Column 3-6: EMR Formation Code, 1500 = Dunvegan
Column 7-8: Pool Sequence Number, 01-"A'
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