Recently, significant advances have been made in integrating subsurface and drilling domains through digital means. One of the key technologies facilitating this integration is the Open Group Subsurface Data Universe (OSDU) data platform that aims to standardize data management and facilitate data sharing across the oil and gas industry. By leveraging the OSDU Data Platform, subsurface models and data can be liberated from traditional silos and made accessible for various applications in well construction. Access to accurate live subsurface data throughout the well construction process reduces project uncertainties, resulting in better plans, more efficient operations, and reduced emissions.

Subsurface data form the basis for well planning and informed decisions during drilling. The most typical subsurface data relevant for the well construction process are well targets, formation tops, mechanical earth models, and geological risks. Traditionally, the data exchange between subsurface and drilling departments has often been individually triggered and executed manually which may have been time-consuming, prone to errors, and may have led to delays in decision-making and to operational inefficiencies. The liberation of data to a cloud store and the enabling of direct access to the data using dedicated cloud services provides a significant opportunity for a step-change in efficiency, data management, cost optimization, and project adherence. The shared environment facilitates a seamless and quick turnaround of relevant data during the well construction process, especially as plans evolve.

Improved integration allows for the subsurface and drilling teams to collaborate effectively, make agile adjustments to plans, identify risks, and access the most relevant data in real-time. As new information becomes available, it can be promptly integrated into the planning process allowing for sensitivity evaluations of well trajectory geometries, and drilling practices in the context of the subsurface constrains (faulting, weak formations, and data acquisition requirements). This leads to improved turnaround times, faster decision-making, and a more responsive approach to evolving well construction requirements. Ultimately this cross-domain integration drives successful drilling campaigns by optimizing well paths and placements, mud weights, mud properties, drilling parameters and a decreased environmental impact.

In this paper, we describe the motivation and the procedures for successful data liberation and work flow integration. Benefits obtained by using the OSDU and dedicated cloud services are outlined with the focus on the integration of domains and organizations, i.e., from subsurface to drilling and from operator to service provider. The impact of this integration is demonstrated by the results of several case studies.