Jackie Portsmouth
Forty plus years of experience in the US, Canada, and the international oil & gas industry specializing in the field of Geomatics & GIS, holding various technical, supervisory, and management positions of increasing responsibility.
Successful at delivering strong business and technical results, as well as effectively contributing to the strategic planning, budgeting, and organizational development of the business. Proven track record at applying broad technical skills, excellent business knowledge, and
financial accountability to effectively deal with the challenges of working in all industries nationally and
internationally.
In depth knowledge in the field of Geomatics including GNSS, GIS, Inertial positioning, satellite communication, Remote Sensing (digital photography, airborne scanning laser technology (LiDAR), satellite imagery, UAVs, land & marine positioning, and spatial data analysis. Recognized by direct reports, peers, and senior management within the industry as a leader in the field of Geomatics.
Authored several geomatics specifications and procedures manuals that were used as standards for the
E & P industry. Spent 17 years as Head Surveyor/Geomatics Advisor with Mobil Oil US working and living in the US and Canada and working Internationally. Responsible for Mobil Oil’s Geomatics related projects for domestic and worldwide E & P operations. Projects included onshore and offshore wellsite positioning, geodetic GNSS surveys, seismic surveys, well resurveys, satellite imagery data gathering,
GIS spatial data management, and pipeline layout.
Started a Geomatics and GIS consulting company in 1999 in Calgary, Alberta and opened an office in
Dallas, Texas in 2008. Moved to Dallas, Texas in 2011 and currently manage both businesses out of Dallas. For the past 10 years have concentrated efforts of the company on promoting the resurvey of well data in the lower forty-eight due to the misrepresentation of the digital surface well location values.
Continue to provide Geomatics consulting services and give lunch and learn seminars on Geomatics topics including “Do You Know Where Your Wells Are” and “What you Don’t Know Will Hurt You.”
Studied Petroleum Land Surveying at (N.A.I.T.) Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Edmonton Alberta.
Past Vice-Chairman (2012-2013) & Chairman (2013-2014) of the APSG (American
Professional Surveying & Geomatics).’
Bruce Carter
Over forty-five years of professional data acquisition, mapping, and management experience in the US and International arenas. Previously licensed to practice land surveying in eight states and a member of numerous professional surveying organizations. Dedicated to continued education, implementation of current technology, and promoting the value of data quality and integrity.
Experienced in land boundary retracement and development, construction layout, environmental, site remediation, regulatory, underground, hydrographic, subsea installation, and onshore/offshore seismic, pipeline, well location surveys and mapping. Past Vice-Chairman (2006-2007) & Chairman (2007-2008) of the APSG (American Professional Surveying & Geomatics).
- Decisions based on inaccurate geospatial data can possibly result in greater risk to life, damage to the environment, and monetary cost/liability
- The accurate geospatial representation of the “where” component of physical assets has been corrupted and devalued due to cost constraints, unrealistic project timelines, and misapplication of technology by users lacking basic knowledge and experience in the subject matter
- The use of existing geospatial data for unintended/inappropriate purposes
- Lack of uniform standards in geospatial data acquisition procedures and internal governance of geospatial data management in organizations propitiate the accuracy degradation over time
- As more inaccurate data is generated and physical evidence/documentation evaporates, the difficulty and expense to correct it will increase (if possible, at all)
- Inaccurate geospatial representations result in inaccurate analysis of spatially related issues which ultimately result in inaccurate analytics/decisions
- Identify the unrecognized relationship of accurate geospatial positioning of features with the recognized operational concerns/issues brought to the organization and public’s attention and how it supports the resolution of such
- Geospatial data associated with a feature is simply a number without supporting definition, qualification, and documentation
- Promote the return of the acknowledgement that the geospatial data acquisition, management, interpretation needs to be addressed by knowledgeable and experienced professionals with the appropriate skills in order to maximize the value of such
John Conner
Attended LSU New Orleans on the GI bill following 4 years in the USAF as an aircraft Loadmaster and Vietnam Veteran. While in school, I worked for a company that was developing the first digital technology for digitizing oil and gas well logs. I cross-trained from computer operator to software engineer after taking a programmer’s aptitude test at IBM. I transferred to Houston in 1971 working with well log analysts creating software to generate colorized geologic lithology plots. In 1982, I formed EnSoCo, Inc. with two partners which provided specialized processing, position problem solving, onshore and offshore mapping and integrity mapping. EnSoCo held contracts with most major oil companies, oil service companies and international oil companies. I ran the company until 2017
when I closed it.
In 2005-2006 I was elected Vice-Chairman and then Chairman (2007-2007) of the Americas Petroleum Survey and Positioning Group (now Association of Petroleum Surveying & Geomatics). I was part of the strategic and technical Advisory Committee, admitted into the APSG Hall of Fame for Meritorious Service and in 2021 I received the Distinguished Service award for my work with the APSG Education Foundation of which I am a founding member and current Vice-chair. My work as a task force lead involves providing support to education from K-12, Work Force education, graduation and postgraduate grants, scholarships. Mentoring and support in the survey and geomatics disciplines.
Since closing EnSoCo, I formed CVV Consulting and have continued my work on behalf of locating and identifying misrepresented P&A and Orphan wells; which threaten the environment, life and property and have created a negative view of the industry in which I have spent my career. I have delivered lectures and published articles and posts on LinkedIn relating to well misrepresentation and the needs of geodetic and coordinate understanding. I have developed additional skills in remote sensing, GIS, and the use of Governance methods in protecting core location positioning and integrity in asset and feature location.
- I discovered the issue of well location miss-representation in 2005 and invested money to evaluate cause and magnitude. I was shocked to see the extent of it more so than the magnitude.
- I spent the rest of my time at EnSoCo confirming my initial discovery and attempting to get oil companies and data providers to recognize the issue in the present-day body of data and I kept meeting resistance, lack of understanding, and all forms of denial that it mattered.
- I believe the problem(s) of misrepresentation continue despite industry efforts at perceived forms of data management and data governance.
- I believe that errors in spatial data; especially coordinate information are trivialized in all industries and the following instruments of change have been addressed:
- Data usage errors are inherently covered through cost + budgets
- Regulatory directives are/can be easily circumvented
- Political opposition can be diverted to other more pressing issues
- Legal issues can be resolved through negotiation and settlement
- Unless a train wreck occurs of sufficient magnitude (e.g., geyser wells, pipeline leaks, explosions, massive spills) there is no incentive for industries to effect change.
- I believe the only avenue of change at scale is adverse public opinion.
- Does miss-representation threaten lives? YES
- Does miss-representation threaten property? YES
- Does miss-representation threaten the environment? YES