Our organization got its start in 1988 when, recognizing the need for petroleum data standards, a group of petroleum industry players and data experts joined forces in 1991 to create the Public Petroleum Data Model Association. During the October 2008 conference in Calgary, the PPDM Association voted to change its name to the Professional Petroleum Data Management Association. In 2023, in recognition of the growing scope of the organization and changing nature of the industry, the members voted to change the its name to the PPDM Association - the Global Energy Data Professionals. As a membership-driven, not-for-profit organization, the PPDM Association has been a catalyst for the development of worldwide, business-driven standards for the collection and exchange of petroleum data.