In today’s world of digital innovation and entrepreneurship, data analytics and accessibility to information has gained significant importance. The flow of real-time information on a global scale has greatly increased decision-making efficiency and the proficiency by which individuals, work groups, and organizations apply solutions to everyday challenges. The resulting improvements in business management and problem solving are no more apparent than in the oil and gas industry, an industry which throughout its history has relied on the experience and learnings of generations of innovators and industrialists to build its capabilities.
Over the years, SPE has played a central role in preserving the industry’s knowledge base and facilitating the transfer of information and lessons learned through several knowledge-sharing platforms. One such example is OnePetro. Established in 2007, www.OnePetro.org is an online library of technical literature for the petroleum exploration and production sector. It stores technical papers published in more than 25 current and historical industry journals and proceedings from more than 50 conferences held worldwide. With contributions from 18 publishing partners and providing access to more than 180,000 papers and presentations, OnePetro is the definitive resource for upstream oil and gas technical information.
Since its launch, 83% of users have expressed that they would recommend OnePetro as the starting point for research, and 56% of users stated that the information found in the online library has helped them in making important decisions. In 2015, OnePetro was recognized by the Software and Information Industry Association as a finalist for the CODiE award, which recognizes the best information solution for science, engineering, and technology professionals.
Encouraging Research, Recognizing Achievements
OnePetro provides an avenue for authors to gain recognition for their technical publications. For instance, every year SPE recognizes the best technical paper published in SPE peer-reviewed journals by a young professional with the Cedric K. Ferguson medal. For 2016, Georg M. Mittermeir was awarded the medal for his paper “Material-Balance Method for Dual-Porosity Reservoirs With Recovery Curves To Model the Matrix/Fracture Transfer.” The paper can be accessed on OnePetro here.
SPE also encourages undergraduate, master’s, and PhD students to publish their research work through the annual student paper contests. Members from student chapters compete at the local and regional levels all over the world. Individuals who advance from these preliminary levels receive the opportunity to compete on the international stage during the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE), and winners have their work published in OnePetro as an SPE-recognized paper as part of the ATCE conference proceedings.
“The SPE International Student Paper Contest provides a great platform for students to share novel and relevant work in OnePetro. This outstanding opportunity allows future professionals contributing to industry innovation by publishing technical content in one of the most comprehensive online libraries of the oil and gas industry,” said Ernesto Valbuena, a production and reservoir engineer and 2015 PhD division winner of the contest.
Young Professionals' Perspectives on OnePetro
Pradhan, Production Engineer, Texas Oil and Gas Institute
"As OnePetro assists many members to start their research, the online library also influences the nature of research within organizations, especially during the beginnings. I can attest to this as an employee for a nonprofit organization known as the Texas Oil and Gas Institute. The institute aims to optimize wells on the Permian Basin properties that provide revenue for the University of Texas and Texas A&M institutions.
One of the pillars of our organization is research, which requires us to use databases such as OnePetro to compile and analyze information to construct our workflow. For instance, published work by operators allows us to synthesize and compare different operating approaches, and information about innovative and established technologies in the Permian Basin allows us to participate in operators’ lookbacks and develop recommendations, which is especially crucial given the volatile price environment.
By utilizing the information available in OnePetro, we are able to identify existing trends and develop a greater understanding of the basin. OnePetro provides insight into available data, which may complement an operator’s specific set of data that our organization has access to, guiding our recommendations for production optimization."
Hali, Application Engineer, Baker Hughes
"Since the start of my career, OnePetro has been a powerful tool supporting my development and strengthening my capability to address technical challenges. This resource has been invaluable throughout the years as increasing levels of responsibility have placed greater demand on my time and performance expectations. The ability to access a broad range of technical material has helped to accelerate my understanding of production techniques and equipment utilized in day-to-day oilfield service operations, as well as to learn about new frontiers of research and technological advancements.
OnePetro has also assisted me in writing technical papers by providing a gateway to a huge repository of high-quality published work. By actively using this platform I have been able to learn from existing literature, and identify gaps in knowledge to ensure my publications remain relevant and engaging.
The reliability and ease-of-access to an unlimited source of applicable information has enabled me to take ownership of my own learning, and given me the confidence to take on new tasks and projects with minimal supervision. Reflecting on my career thus far makes me greatly appreciate the importance of OnePetro to my professional progress."
OnePetro is an essential learning tool for oil and gas professionals, students, and members of the general public looking to learn more about the industry. From answering students’ homework questions to encouraging the dissemination of knowledge across companies, the online library provides significant value within and outside of the SPE member base. Knowledge-sharing platforms such as OnePetro will continue to play a major part in shaping the future of our industry by driving innovation and collective problem solving.
Related Reading
Top 5 Most Downloaded Papers on OnePetro (as of 28 November 2016)
- How Blowout Preventers Work
- Avoiding Flowline Plugging: A Deposition Velocity Model and Stability Map
- Effect of Near Wellbore Effective Stress on the Performance of Slotted Liner Completions in SAGD Operations
- Reflections on Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient with Application to Thermal Well Design
- What Vacuum Insulated Tubings Or Vacuum Insulated Casings Bring To Thermal Wells