The community of Certified Petroleum Data Analysts (CPDAs) is growing for good reason. Employers need qualified and experienced petroleum professionals to shepherd their data through a rapidly advancing technological environment. CPDAs provide an added level of confidence and capability to data teams, with much of the credentialed exam weighted on these four areas - Data Analysis (30%), E&P Life Cycle Processes (15%), Data Quality Management (15%) and Data Governance (11%). If you’d like to learn more about the CPDA, come and hear from these professionals and join in on the discussion on December 6th, 2022.
Mark your calendar – Our Dallas/Fort Worth Team are planning a special Workshop/Training day on February 28, 2022. The morning will feature three hands on classes, with an afternoon training and workshop. More information to come, keep an eye on our website for more details.
The North Sea Transition Authority (NTSA), which regulates and influences the oil, gas and carbon storage industries in the United Kingdom, has joined the Data as a National Resource (DANR) hub. DANR, launched in Spring 2022, is powered by the PPDM Association, and aims to be the go-to knowledge hub for regulators, National Oil Companies (NOC), National Data Repositories and technology and service providers. Subscribers to the hub have full access to a resource library, training, subscriber showcase, virtual events, and much more.
The NTSA has joined the Petroleum Agency of South Africa and SKK Migas as early adopters and supporters of the DANR initiative, which builds on new and existing relationships between regulatory agencies, NOCs, and service providers. The hub serves to bring these organisations together, to collaborate and share experiences, provide training and freely available resources, and offers opportunities to network with providers of enabling technology and services at a programme of events. In particular, the hub seeks to support emerging economies in seeking and attaining inward investment through licensing rounds for oil and gas, renewable energy and carbon capture, utilisation, and sequestration.
Andy Thompson, NDR Manager at NTSA, noted that the development of DANR and the NSTA’s subsequent involvement is very timely for the UK offshore energy sector, as they balance their commitment to ongoing hydrocarbon exploration and production with the Energy Transition. “We are working on a number of projects that are relevant to the content that DANR provides, and are anticipating working closely with the DANR community on learning from and providing support to, in particular, other regulatory agencies. We are are working to unlock value in petroleum related data that has application across traditional and emerging use cases. Our activities include digitising archived SEG-D, conditioning non-machine-readable legacy documentation, and enabling machine assisted content classification, all projects which we are sure will chime with other similar agencies around the world. As we move into the Energy Transition, it is vital that we work together to progress to more sustainable forms of energy generation, whilst acknowledging that hydrocarbon exploration and the associated data still forms a very large part of our energy future”.
Trudy Curtis, CEO of the PPDM Association, is delighted that NTSA have joined DANR at this early stage. “It’s a pleasure to see a mature agency like NTSA join the DANR program. As the community continues to grow, mutually beneficial relationships between mature and growing agencies will remain a key focus and benefit. Our objective, to ensure that high quality data can be stewarded as a valuable national resource, depends on the expertise that participants bring to the table.”
DANR is accessed through subscription, at minimal cost for NOCs, Regulators and NDRs. Sponsorship is invited from service providers, and a range of sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information visit www.danrhub.org.
About DANR
The Data as a National Resource Knowledge Hub provides resources for National Data Repositories, Regulators and National Oil Companies, including a resource library, training, subscriber showcase, virtual events and more. DANR is powered by the PPDM Association. www.danrhub.org; www.ppdm.org
About NTSA NTSA regulates and influences the oil, gas and carbon storage industries in the UK. It helps drive North Sea energy transition, realising the significant potential of the UK Continental Shelf as a critical energy and carbon abatement resource. The NTSA holds industry to account on halving upstream emissions by 2030. https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/
Updated brand reflects the versatility of PPDM Association core pillars to serve the evolving energy industry.
CALGARY, Alberta, October 26, 2022 – The Professional Petroleum Data Management (PPDM) Association, the global, not-for-profit society within the energy industry for data professionals and data capability, announced today that it has changed its name to the “PPDM Association.” Accompanying this new name is a new logo and tagline: The Global Energy Data Professionals.
Announced shortly after the PPDM Association introduced a new strategic plan and celebrated more than 30 years of service to the energy industry, the new name and brand better reflect the breadth of the organization’s value to the diversifying energy industry.
“This is quite significant,” said Curley Thomas, Chair of the Strategic Committee of the PPDM Association Board of Directors. “Today and into the future, our organization’s identity is expanding beyond ‘petroleum’ and ‘data management.’ Traditional oil companies are pursuing new energies and more environmental responsibility. Similarly, more and more people handle data and perform data analytics who are not strictly ‘data managers,’ but they benefit from solid data practices. ‘Energy’ and ‘data professional’ more fully reflect the value and service we provide.”
Trudy Curtis, Chief Executive Officer, added, “Our organization started as the Public Petroleum Data Model (PPDM) in 1991, evolving to become the Professional Petroleum Data Management Association (PPDM) in 2008. The name ‘PPDM’ carries decades of value and goodwill built on our strong reputation in the data community. Our new brand celebrates those foundations, while emphasizing that our capabilities that produced that value serve expanding communities and solutions. It makes sense to apply our rigorous and successful methods to growing domains like carbon capture, greenhouse gas tracking, and wind turbine facilities through initiatives such as What is a Facility.”
Board Chair Allan Huber added, “Make no mistake, the PPDM Association will not abandon its foundational petroleum data standards or our traditional customer base, rather we are embracing the future with open arms. Building on the expertise that our volunteers and staff have developed in establishing and maintaining our world-class petroleum data standards enables us to accelerate the creation of robust standards for these new energy domains. Our members and volunteers will continue to leverage these capabilities to diversify our community, deliver new standards, and create development opportunities to support our stakeholders in this transition.”
The PPDM Association provides leadership for data professionals and capabilities through the development and dissemination of best practices and standards, education programs, certification programs, and professional development opportunities. The PPDM Association’s standards are implemented in various technologies across the energy industry, including key parts of the OSDU™ Data Platform. The work of the PPDM Association is largely volunteer-driven, and is grouped into three pillars (Data Community, Data Resources, and Data Professionals), executed by a methodology called the ‘PPDM Way.’ In the Association’s updated strategy, the data capability generated by these proven pillars and methodologies apply to additional domains, such as New Energy, Environment, and Technology.
For additional information, contact: Trudy Curtis CEO, PPDM Association board@ppdm.org
The PPDM Association would like to welcome six new and returning Directors to the Board of Directors, following the October 25, 2022, Annual General Meeting.
We would like to welcome back Ali Sangster (S&P Global), David Hood (geoLOGIC systems), Daniel Perna (EPAM Systems), and Jamie Cruise (SLB) who were re-elected for another term. We would also like to extend our congratulations to Melinda East (Focus Forward) and Jesus Rodriguez (Marathon) on their election to a first term with the Board.
Our sincere thank you and appreciation goes out to the Directors who will continue in their terms: Allan Huber (Retired from Shell), Tony Knight (Geological Survey of Queensland), Curley Thomas III (Chevron), Steven Cooper (Informed Solutions), Robert Best (Microsoft), Tarun Chandrasekhar (Syndigo) and Trudy Curtis (PPDM Association). We would especially like to thank Kolleen Kidd and Sue Carr for their hard work and dedicated service as they retire from the Board.
The Data Rules Committee needs your assistance. If you are specialized in Directional surveys or offshore and onshore facilities or Renewable Energy, we could use your help to create data rules. If you are interested, please email us at projects@ppdm.org.
Get involved with the CPDA professional community. Join our CPDA Information Sessions to learn more, and if you are a current CPDA, we welcome you to our CPDA Interactives that are scheduled throughout the year. Visit www.ppdm.org to sign up.
Did you know the CPDA Governance Committee hosts CPDA Information Sessions? Join us on December 6 (11:30 AM – 12:30 PM MDT) to partake in this dynamic event. If you’re thinking about taking the CPDA Exam, come and “Ask a CPDA”.
If you are a current CPDA, we invite you to attend our next CPDA Interactive. Join your peers to discuss work challenges and solutions, PDU maintenance, and all things CPDA. The next event is scheduled for December 13 (11:30 AM – 12:30 PM MDT).
The 2022 Denver Energy Data Symposium is coming up on November 8, 2022, at Occidental Petroleum. The theme this year is “New Energy and the Data Professional.” Some of the things you’ll learn in this event include:
Register now
The Annual General Meeting of the PPDM Association will be held on Tuesday Oct 25th, 2022, at 3:00PM MDT. The meeting will be conducted entirely as a virtual meeting . Recent changes in Alberta Legislation governing not-for-profit societies allow for the AGM to be conducted virtually, allowing our members across the globe to participate. The AGM is open to all members, and voting members are strongly encouraged to attend. Members can register to attend the AGM through the PPDM website.
Immediately following the AGM, a Special Meeting of the membership will be held. In April of 2022, the Board of the PPDM Association rolled out a revised strategy at the Houston Expo. Most of you should have seen the document entitled “Transition: Embracing the Future”. If you haven’t seen it, you can find it link. To effectively implement the expanded strategy, and set a foundation for future growth, the Board recognized the need to update the branding, objects of incorporation, and the bylaws of the society. The outcome of this strategy and rebranding work will be presented in three resolutions at a Special Meeting of the Association on Oct 25th, 2022 immediately following the AGM at 4:00 PM MDT. Formal notice of the meeting including the resolutions and supporting material will be published in early October.
It is imperative that our voting members attend the Special Meeting as a vote of 75% of the membership is required to progress with the implementation of the changes noted above. I would ask you to reserve time in you’re your busy calendars for these important meetings. Please watch for this announcement, and review the materials included. The Board looks forward to your comments and questions, and especially to your participation in this critical event.
“Abandoned” is such a strong word. Critics often use the word when describing oil companies’ failure to take responsibility for cleaning up old well, but when oil companies use the same term, they mean precisely the opposite. They have cleaned up a well and left it in good shape. Both agree that there are millions of wells not plugged and that they require billions of capital, but before we can talk about how to resolve the situation, we must agree on terms.
Truth be told, even among oil producers and regulators there is no complete, formal, or consistent set of terms to cover the range of possibilities. Plugging operations have been undertaken at some level for decades but in evolving ways. The remaining population of millions of unplugged wells imply the scope and variations of situations still facing the industry. We also need some future compatibility since our legacy wellbores will exist (and may adversely affect the public) not just before plugging for also for the centuries as plugged wells fail.
Building off a momentum of private discussions, PPDM is stepping up to fill this terminology gap. If you would like to participate in the formulation of a consistent and complete set of terms, please reach out to projects@ppdm.org to volunteer. After all, we can’t solve problems without discussions, and we can’t discuss without a shared language.