Success Story: Anadarko Petroleum Corporation

Anadarko Finds a Problem Solving Solutions Provider

Anadarko was incorporated in 1959 and is currently one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in the world. Anadarko has assets over $20 billion, produced 158 million barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) and has 2.45 billion BOE of proven reserves as of 2005. In 2000 Anadarko merged with Fort Worth-based Union Pacific Resources (UPR). Through the merger, the company gained access to prospects, technical expertise and financial resources that accelerated the company's growth and profitability. The merger also created an opportunity to improve some of the mapping processes associated with its land based assets.

Critical Issue:

Accessing multiple sources of lease data and generating accurate land maps. As a result of the merger with UPR, Anadarko acquired significant leasehold positions and a lease record database. The challenge was combining the two lease record databases and generating consolidated land maps. Kathy Stevens is currently the Domestic GIS Supervisor and has played a pivotal role in this effort. "After the merger we acquired a large lease agreement database, but we also used land data from a variety of other sources. We had to bring all this data together and start generating maps, so we could effectively manage this valuable corporate asset."

Capabilities Needed:

Anadarko was interested in a strategic relationship with a company that had the expertise to address their specific land mapping requirements. Of primary importance was the need for a mapping tool that would connect directly to multiple lease record databases. After the data was consolidated, it had to be accessible in a mapping environment where it could be analyzed and mapped. The project would require a significant amount of technical expertise and custom applications to develop an efficient workflow.

Solution:

Anadarko reviewed several land based solution providers and determined that LandWorks had the experience and technical abilities to accomplish the project. It was determined that a combination of custom data extraction routines and the LandWorks GIS mapping tools would accomplish these objectives. LandWorks began the project by analyzing the current state of Anadarko's lease records and discussing ideal workflows. Initially, data was extracted from both lease record databases so maps would reflect the consolidation of both data sets. Later, Anadarko consolidated all their lease records into one database and the extra data extraction was eliminated. "We determined that LandWorks was willing to share experiences they had with other clients to help us in this project," says Ms. Stevens, "We felt that we were all working toward the same goals."

LandWorks GIS is made up of several ESRI ArcView extensions that provide a working environment where corporate lease data can be analyzed and mapped. The first of these is Parcel Edit Tools (PET) and provides a GIS specialist with the ability to create polygons in areas where the legal descriptions are complicated. "PET is a valuable tool not currently available with the base ArcView mapping product." Ms. Stevens explains, "We use this tool everyday to create polygons in areas where the LandWorks Automapper can't create the shapes on its own." PET creates polygons in 21 different methods depending on the legal description. This tool is especially helpful in areas where legal descriptions are described by metes and bounds or surveys.

The second GIS tool is LandWorks Toolbox, an extension designed to analyze lease data and generate maps based on lease attributes. "We use several of the tools in Toolbox. QuikFind allows us to access all the underlying data associated with a specific lease directly from a map. We can use Toolbox to calculate mineral interest and ownership maps, and expiration maps are easily created so we can stay ahead of expiring leases. Without these tools, Anadarko would not be able to analyze expiration data." Currently Anadarko has Toolbox installed on approximately 130 desktops with 30-40 GIS specialists using the tools as a part of their daily workflows.

QuikMap is another LandWorks GIS tool used throughout Anadarko's US onshore organization. "QuikMap is an extremely useful tool that simplifies the creation of presentation quality maps. We can use any spatial layer stored in our database to generate a presentation quality map with a custom legend and title box. Our GIS staff uses this daily to provide maps to all levels of the organization," says Ms. Stevens

After the successful mapping of all the company's existing leases, another opportunity to improve the land department's productivity presented itself. Anadarko had deployed a field data collection tool and saw an opportunity to improve their turnaround time if they could get that data into the GIS tools faster. LandWorks provided the technical expertise to construct data importing routines to load new data records from their field data collection tools. This data is loaded directly into the LandWorks GIS environment where maps can be generated instantaneously.

LandWorks has also been instrumental in providing the ongoing support and training necessary for the effective use of the tools. "LandWorks has helped me to learn the system, and I rely on them for input to corporate decisions regarding the technology surrounding our lease database and GIS mapping activities." Ms. Stevens continues, "The expertise LandWorks has with SDE has been invaluable." Working with LandWorks and ESRI, Anadarko deployed the ESRI Spatial Database Engine (SDE) enterprise data repository, which is designed to manage spatial data. Anadarko needed a company with expertise in this environment to help with the complex interrelation between the lease record database, the spatial layer database and the mapping environment.

Result:

Currently Anadarko has the LandWorks suite of GIS tools deployed throughout the US onshore organization and has successfully accomplished their goal of providing up-to-date lease data to their GIS specialists. As a result, they can map new lease information quickly and provide maps to the individuals who need them. With the help of LandWorks, Anadarko has implemented a nightly routine that updates their Geodatabase and downloads field data so the mapping professionals have up-to-date lease information every morning. Access to this data is invaluable to an organization that makes daily decisions based on this valuable corporate asset.

The ongoing relationship between Anadarko and LandWorks is seen as a valuable strategic partnership where LandWorks provides technical expertise in an effort to streamline the company's internal workflows. When asked about this relationship, Ms. Stevens says, "LandWorks is easy to communicate with, and they care about solving problems, not just selling product."

Ms. Kathy Stevens - GIS Systems Support, Anadarko

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