The Denver Workshop is coming on April 18. This half day workshop features a variety of talks and discussions on topics around our them of “New Energy and the Data Professional.” The agenda is available. Register now to attend in person or virtually.
The Data Objects Committee is looking for volunteers to help us with our new data objects. We are asking for member participation to review the existing content. If you are interested in participating in this committee, please contact us.
Our 2023 Job Market Survey is currently underway, and we would like to hear from you – what job market information is important to you? You can view past survey results on our website. Email us with your thoughts for this next survey.
Learn about Volunteering with the PPDM Association! On April 11, 2023, join the PPDM team as we discuss what it means to be a volunteer with the PPDM Association. Learn about the different opportunities in the three areas, Community, IEDS and Professional Development, and how you can make a difference. Register now >
The Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) which monitors and regulates the exploration, development, and production, together with the refining, gas conversion, transportation, and storage of petroleum in Uganda, has joined the Data as a National Resource (DANR) hub. The PAU joins the Petroleum Agency of South Africa, SKK Migas, the North Sea Transition Authority, and the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator as early adopters and supporters of the DANR initiative. Read more >
“One of our key mantras was ‘What we measure we can improve.’ Interestingly in that area, it was our assets and our businesses that had nailed down that data was the key necessity for their success.” Sushma Bhan. Join the Three Data Wise Guys Plus One in Season 2 Episode 2, featuring Sushma Bhan, Board of Director at Ikon Science, and former CDO with Shell. This episode is now available on our website – www.ppdm.org/podcasts.
Targeted at those living in Asia Pacific, this one-hour virtual information session will let you know about the Certified Petroleum Data Analyst program and answer any questions you have. Register Now on our website.
Join the Houston Leadership Team at our Houston New Data Ecosystem Expo, May 9-10, 2023, at the Red Oak Ballroom. This year's agenda features two days of talks, sessions and panels on energy data related topics including:
The National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator (NOPTA), which administers titles and data management for petroleum and greenhouse gas (GHG) titles in Australian Commonwealth waters, 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. The hub serves to bring these organisations together, to collaborate, share experiences, provide training and access freely available resources. In particular, the hub seeks to support emerging economies in leveraging successes in other areas and seeking inward investment through licensing rounds for oil and gas, renewable energy and carbon capture, utilisation, and sequestration. Read the full release here.
We have recently been experiencing higher than normal interest about an Authorization for Expenditure (AFE) project and would like to know how we may help the needs of our community. Please fill out this short survey so that we can better understand what parts of the AFE project would be of most interest: Click here.
The Data Objects Committee is looking for volunteers to help us create new data objects to add to our 7 newly published data objects. We are asking for member participation and feedback. If you are interested in participating in this committee, please contact us at projects@ppdm.org.
Join the Dallas/Fort Worth Leadership Team for a day of learning and training at our Energy Data Workshop on February 28. Training topics include Cloud Data Storage and streaming, Orphaned wells, What is a Facility Phase 1 training and workshop, and more. The Agenda is now available. Register now to save your spot.
PRESS RELEASE Calgary, January 2023
The PPDM Association (PPDM) and the Blockchain for Energy (B4E) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that intends to support integration and harmonization of the work being done by both organizations.
PPDM and B4E will collaborate to harmonize terminology, data contents and identify opportunities for best practices. B4E will leverage reference lists developed or supported by PPDM and will investigate the utility of the data rules library. Collectively, best practices for seismic data management will be investigated through PPDM’s project “What is Seismic.”
PPDM focusses specifically on data capability through the development of best practices, standards, and professional development programs. Key deliverables include standardized reference lists, data quality rules, technology neutral data objects and learning programs to support data professionals. “Collaboration with organizations like Blockchain for Energy helps to bring a standard vocabulary and usage in the seismic space, an area that the PPDM Association has been exploring with our upcoming project ‘What is Seismic,’” said Trudy Curtis, CEO of the PPDM Association. “Seismic data management has been challenging for industry for decades and we believe this collaboration will help us move forward with positive, value add recommendations.”
B4E leverages data and the power of blockchain to create a trusted data ledger that strengthens industry cooperation and data integrity. B4E is utilizing blockchain to develop a framework for seismic contracts and entitlements that will build rigor into seismic data management.
“PPDM’s solid body of work in standardizing industry data has reaped important benefits over the years,” added Agustin Diz, Director of E&P Information Management at Repsol and Program Champion for the Seismic Entitlements at Blockchain For Energy, “Having PPDM as part of the team will be a big bonus to our project.”
Both organizations look forward to the opportunity to collaborate and support each other.
“I think that the ME centric time of data management is at an end and we must arrive at a WE centric method of data management, understanding that the totality of data management needs and data needs through the life cycle of that data.” Join the Three Data Wise Guys Plus one for the first episode of season 2 as they bring on guest speaker, Trudy Curtis, CEO of the PPDM Association. Listen now.
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.
We are seeing increased interest in the CPDA certification, with many companies adding this credential as a ‘preferred certification’ to new positions. If you and your colleagues are interested in learning more about the Certified Petroleum Data Analysis examination, join us on September 20th (5:00 PM – 6:00 PM MT)/September 21st (7:00 AM – 8:00 AM AWST) for the next session. The next one will be hosted on December 6th (11:30 AM – 12:30 PM MT/6:30 PM – 7:30 PM BST). To register, visit our Events page on our website.
The Calgary Energy Data Symposium is only a few days away – there’s still time to join this two-day event on the “Skills and Innovations of Tomorrow." Talks include our keynotes “Energy In Transition” by Steven Piepgrass or Green Impact Partners, and “Storytelling: Turn Your Data Into Compelling Insights That Inspire Action and Boost Your Career” by John Hetherington of We Deliver Your Vision. Register now on our website
The Calgary Symposium has a new venue this year! We are excited to see you at the Calgary Tower Centre’s Amphitheatre. If you registered before, your registration carried over but if you’ve not registered yet, sign up now as space is limited! The Agenda is available on our website, and day one features talks on new innovations with day two focused on the skills of tomorrow.
The CPDA Exam is the only industry-specific certification, developed and governed by industry subject matter experts. Don’t miss this CPDA exam overview where you will review the application process and gain insight into the type of questions you can expect on the CPDA examination. The presentation is given by CPDA certified committee members who can answer your questions. Schedule your CPDA Information Session for September 21st (Asia Pacific) and sign up for the exam! What’s stopping you?
The PDC is advancing the competency framework, which is a critical resource for individuals and companies for identifying professional competencies required for multiple roles in the industry. Our next phase involves writing competencies for emerging roles that will propel our professional discipline by recognizing the complexities of these roles.
The PPDM Education Advisory Committee have published six podcasts over this past year. These podcasts explore many important topics related to industry data management that everyone must hear. If you haven’t listened to these three data wise guys, you can find the link at https://ppdm.org/ppdm/PPDM/resources/Podcasts/PPDM/Podcasts.aspx.
Calgary, AB, Canada, August 4, 2022 –In accordance with the PPDM Association Bylaws, nominations are now open for the PPDM Association Board of Directors. The Board is looking for experienced executive thinkers who will provide strategic leadership and governance for the PPDM Association and act in the best interests of all the members of the PPDM Association by promoting the PPDM Association’s goals.
Nominations must be submitted to the PPDM Association office prior to Friday, September 2, 2022. In 2018, the PPDM Association Board of Directors formed a Nominations Committee to support the nomination process. The committee will speak to every nominee and provide an assessment to those who will be voting at the AGM later in 2022.
In order to submit your candidacy for the PPDM Association Board of Directors, please follow this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PPDMBOD2022. Nominations must include the full name and contact information of the nominee, along with a 100-200 word biography and a high resolution portrait photograph (in business dress please).We value the dedication and commitment of our members who choose to participate in our nomination and election process as a Board of Directors Candidate. Thank you for your time and consideration; this important role is crucial to the direction and development of the PPDM Association.
What is a Facility is a faceted taxonomy created by the PPDM Association to deal with the multitude of values describing facilities in the global energy industry. This is an evolving product, responding to changes in corporate data management needs and practices plus external reporting. Regulatory and ESG reporting require data arranged for a facility. A common language and data standard is vital for consistent reporting, analysis, decision-making, and interpretation for operators and external stakeholders.
A facility is the collection of commonly owned or operated equipment at any life cycle stage that is located within a specific geographic boundary or surface site for the purpose of production, processing, transmission, storage, or distribution of products prior to the point of custody transfer.
PPDM Association Members can access the new What is a Facility (Phase 1) booklet now on our website.
Antonie du Toit will be delivering a great talk on the CPDA Certification at the Perth Data Management Workshop on August 18th. Don’t miss this spicy tongue-in-cheek look at personality types and traits and how they line up with data management careers.
PPDM is responding to member interest in a potential new work group called "What is Seismic?" If you are interested in discussing how such a project might help data professionals and improve data capability, contact us at projects@ppdm.org.
The Agenda for the 2022 Perth Energy Data Workshop is now available, featuring talks on a variety of topics from geoscience data transformation to new energy data. Check out the agenda now and register to save your seat.
Many of our wonderful PPDM volunteers are heading into summer and rounding off some solid work on both data and professional resources. Now we are thinking about what is next for our members. Based on member interest and support, these projects provide opportunities to build on the first release of "What is a Facility," develop "What is Seismic," consider various aspects of orphaned wells and other assets, and examine how financial data and information are managed. Ongoing work on reference lists, data rules and data objects will continue and be supplemented in more learning materials. Member feedback has suggested that stronger development programs for the CPDA certification program be made available, and work will continue to enable this need.
2022 Perth Data Management Workshop is approaching on August 18, 2022, including a special half day field trip to Pawsey on August 17, 2022. The agenda will be released shortly.Sign up now.
The CPDA Governance committee offers CPDA Information Sessions every quarter, and we also offer private corporate sessions. Contact certification@ppdm.org. For more information or view a recorded session visit the Professional Development tab on our website.
The reference values work group has recently approved a new feature to the PPDM website. Members may now request via a fillable form to the work group to consider and publish a new reference list. Members may now also request that additional values be considered to an already published list via fillable form. Check it out! We would love some feedback. The reference values group is also looking for SME’s to help with Records Management reference lists.
A few weeks ago, in response to what we've heard from you, our community, the PPDM Board of Directors announced the Association's new Strategic Plan. If you have not yet read the Plan, you can download it now. As we bring the power of PPDM into new ventures, we are building on more than 30 years of experience and successful processes, including 'The PPDM Way.' PPDM Leadership Teams, committees and workgroups started us on this path several years ago. PPDM events cover many of the topics covered by the Plan, and workgroups in the Data Resources pillar have been developing products that support facilities and midstream activities. The What is a Facility committee endeavors to build materials to support better data capability through the life cycle. Learning opportunities cover topics such as Machine Learning and continue to expand as we support our Data community through this transition. If you or your organization would be interested in helping provide the knowledge and expertise in any of our programs, please contact info@ppdm.org.
"Digitalization, Digitization, Datafication, Digital Engineering, Data Engineering, Digital Transformation...it just goes on and on and on, and it's constraining the effective deployment of sound data management principals in our companies. It's sorta like having a big bowl into which all these digital ideas and things digital have been toss to create a sort of chopped salad." ~ Matt Becker, Three Data Wise Guys. Join our Three Data Wise Guys + One for the sixth episode of their podcast on "Digitalization is not digitization, nor any of the plethora of terms we hear bandied about!". Listen now or check out our previous podcasts to get caught up - www.ppdm.org/podcasts.
Join the Certification Committee virtually on May 31 at 11:30am Mountain Time for an information session on the Certified Petroleum Data Analyst (CPDA) credential. Learn about this exam and why you need your CPDA now.
Visit our PPDM website (Professional Development – Resources) to access the Job Market Survey PowerBI and downloadable reports. This comprehensive view of compensation, benefits, future trends, and information related to data professionals who have been casualties to the unpredictable times are sure to intrigue you.
"I think we've broken Excel" ~Jim Crompton, Three Data Wise Guys. Join our Three Data Wise Guys + One for the fifth episode of their podcast on the Role of Data Management: The Way Forward. Listen now or check out our previous podcasts to get caught up - www.ppdm.org/podcasts.
Join the Oklahoma City Leadership Team for the 2022 Oklahoma City Petroleum Data Workshop on June 16, 2022, at the Chesapeake Maple Room. The theme this year is “The Era of Consolidation” and features talks like: