NO344020B1 - Quality goals for a data context service - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND

[0002] Oilfield operations, such as exploration, drilling, cable testing, completions, production, planning and oilfield analysis are typically performed to locate and recover valuable wellbore fluids. During the oil field operations, data is typically collected for analysis and/or monitoring of the oil field operations. Such data can e.g. include formation data, equipment data, historical and/or other data. Data relating to the subsurface formation is collected using a number of different sources. Such formation data can be static or dynamic. Static data concerns e.g. formation structure and geological stratigraphy which define the geological structures in the underground formation. Dynamic data concerns e.g. fluids that flow through the geological structures in the underground formation over time. Such static and/or dynamic data can be collected to learn more about the formations and the valuable assets they contain.

[0003] The data can be used to predict wellbore conditions and to make decisions regarding oil field operations. Such decisions may involve well planning, well management, well completions, operating levels, production quantities and other operations and/or operating parameters. This information is often used to decide when to drill new wells, overhaul existing wells or change wellbore production. Oilfield conditions, such as geological, geophysical and reservoir engineering characteristics can impact oilfield operations such as risk analysis, economic valuation and mechanical considerations for producing underground reservoirs.

[0004] Data from one or more well holes can be analyzed to plan or predict different outcomes for a given well hole. In some cases, data from nearby wells or wells with similar conditions or similar equipment can be used to predict how a well may behave. A large number of variables and large amounts of data can usually be used in an oilfield project to analyze the oilfield operations. It is therefore often useful to model the behavior of the oilfield operation using an oilfield program to execute a workflow to determine the desired course of action. During ongoing operations, operating parameters can be adjusted as oil field conditions change and new information is received. US 2007/0124296 A1 describes a method for providing a data context service, a system for providing a data context service and a computer-readable storage medium for storing instructions, where the instructions comprise functionality for providing a data context service, according to prior art. US 2008/133550 A1 describes a method and a corresponding system for integrated resource management for an oil field.

[0005] Workers seeking knowledge in the energy industry usually have access to a domain of structured information (data in databases or spreadsheets) and very limited access to unstructured data (reports, presentations, maps, e-mail, web content, etc., as described above). Various studies indicate that about 20% of the data used in most business areas is structured data, and the remaining 80% is unstructured data that usually appears in memoranda, notes, news, user groups, chat rooms, reports, letters, surveys, parliamentary messages , marketing materials, research, presentations and websites. In the energy area (eg oil and gas, renewable energy, etc.) more than 60% of the unstructured data is not managed or used. If the worker uses common search tools in relation to unstructured data, such as web content search engines or electronic document management systems (EDMS) to look for documents and reports, the search results are often unusable because the classification system of the search is not relevant to the area in question and the work flow of energy area.

SUMMARY

[0006] According to one aspect, the invention generally relates to a method for providing a data context service. The method comprises extracting context information from a host application associated with an oil field project, where the context information comprises a current state for a user in the host application, sorting the context information into a number of relevant dimensions, generating a search profile for each of the number of relevance dimensions, requesting a first number of searches using at least the search profile, receiving a number of oil field data items as a result of the first number of searches, obtaining a quality measure for an oil field data item among the number of oil field data items based on a predetermined quality criterion, sending the oil field data item as a search result to the host application after having determining that the quality target exceeds a predetermined threshold, and generating an output using the host application based on the search result, the output being used to perform an oil field operation.

[0007] Other aspects of the quality target for the data context service will appear from the following description and the appended patent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] So that the above-mentioned features of the quality target for the data context service can be understood in detail, a more specific description, as briefly summarized above, can be obtained by referring to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawings. However, it should be noted that the attached drawings only illustrate typical embodiments of the quality target for the data context service and should therefore not be considered limiting for the scope, since the quality target for the data context service may make it possible to use other equally effective embodiments.

[0009] Figures 1.1-1.4 outline a schematic overview of an oil field with underground structures containing reservoirs, in which embodiments of the quality target for the data context service can be implemented.

[0010] Figures 2.1-2.4 which show graphic sketches of data collected respectively with the help of the tools shown in figures 1.1-1.4.

[0011] Fig.3.1 outlines an example of the display of a user application used in an operational project on an oil field.

[0012] Fig.3.2 outlines an example of displaying a user application with a data context service window.

[0013] Fig.4 outlines an example of a schematic diagram for using the data context service to perform an oil field operation.

[0014] Fig.5 outlines a flowchart outlining a method for using the data context service during the execution of an oil field operation.

[0015] Fig.6 outlines an example of a display of a data context service window.

[0016] Figures 7 and 8 outline examples of displays of data context service windows according to further configurations.

[0017] Fig.9 outlines a computer system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the data context service quality measure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Embodiments of the data context service are shown in the above figures and are described in detail below. During the description of the embodiments, similar or identical reference numbers are used to identify common or similar elements. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and certain features and certain views of the figures may be shown on an exaggerated scale or diagrammatically for reasons of clarity and accuracy.

[0019] Embodiments of the data context service generally provide the capability to perform searches for oilfield data containing both structured and unstructured formats from an oilfield related software application, and to return search results that are more relevant to the context of the oilfield project, the application used in the project , the workflow performed using the application, the user using the application, etc. Embodiments of the data context service further include capabilities to identify the quality of the search results, promoting good quality search results and filtering out poor quality results. Embodiments of the data context service further include capabilities to provide hints to assist the user in performing searches for oil field data that are more relevant to the context.

[0020] Figures 1.1-1.4 show a schematic overview of an oil field with underground structures containing reservoirs, with various oil field operations that are carried out on the oil field.

[0021] Fig.1.1 outlines a prospecting operation that is performed to generate a seismic data output recording 124 using a computer 122.1 on a seismic recording vehicle 106.1 to receive, via geophone receivers 118, data 120 regarding one or more sound vibrations 112 that are reflected from horizons 114 in a subsurface formation 116 from an acoustic source 110.

[0022] Fig.1.2 outlines a drilling operation which is carried out using a drilling tool 106.2 which is suspended in a rig 128 and which is led into the underground formation 102 to form a well hole 136 to reach the reservoir 104. Drilling mud is circulated through the drilling tool 106.2 via a flow line 132 back to a mud tank 130 on the surface. The drilling tool may be arranged to measure wellbore properties arranged to take a core sample 133. A surface unit 134 with a combined transceiver 137 collects a data output 135 generated during the drilling operation and enables communications between different parts of the oil field 100 or elsewhere.

[0023] Fig. 1.3 outlines a cable operation and includes all the elements outlined in Fig. 1.2, except that the drilling tool 106.2 is replaced by a cable tool 106.3 arranged to perform well logging, wellbore tests, collection of samples and/or execution of a seismic survey operation based on an explosive or acoustic energy source 144, in which case the cable tool 106.3 may provide a data output 135 to the surface unit 134.

[0024] Fig.1.4 outlines a production operation which is carried out with the help of a production tool 106.4 deployed from a production unit or a valve tree 129 and into the completed wellbore 136 in Fig.1.3 to extract fluid from the wellbore reservoirs 104 to surface facilities 142 via a collection network 146. Sensors S positioned around the oil field 100 are operatively connected to a surface unit 134 with a combined transmitter/receiver 137 for collecting data 135, e.g. reservoir data, wellbore data, surface data and/or process data.

[0025] Although one well site is shown, it will be understood that the oil field 100 can cover a land area where one or more well sites are located. Part or all of the oil field may be on land and/or at sea. The oil field operations outlined in figures 1.1-1.4 can also be carried out with any combination of one or more oil fields, one or more process facilities and one or more well sites.

[0026] Figures 2.1-2.4 show graphic sketches of data collected as respectively shown in figures 1.1-1.4. Fig.2.1 outlines a seismic route 202 for the underground formation 102 in Fig.1.1 taken with the help of the exploration tool 106.1. Fig.2.2 outlines a core sample 133 taken using the logging tool 106.2 in Fig.1.2. Fig.2.3 outlines a well log 204 for the underground formation 102 taken with the help of the cable tool 106.3 in Fig.1.3. Fig.2.4 outlines a production-reduction curve 206 for fluid flowing through the subsurface formation 102 taken using the production tool 106.4 of Fig.1.4.

[0027] Fig.3.1 shows an example of a display of an oil field software application (referred to as a user application or a host application) 300 used in an oil field project in accordance with one or more embodiments of the data context service. The host application 300 may be a simulator (eg, a well site simulator, a non-well site simulator) or any other software application used in the oil field project. The host application 300 can e.g. is used to model drilling operations for an oil field project.

Operations in the oilfield project may further involve actions (e.g. exploration, quality control, data tagging or any other available functions) performed in the host application itself, performed in the environment of the host application as well as performed in other third-party applications co-located with the host application in the environment of the host application. The host application can e.g. be an application that executes within an operating system and that interacts with one or more third-party applications within the operating system. Operations in the oil field project may further include a workflow (ie, an ordered sequence of operations) that includes various actions as described above, which are performed on a computer system with a processor (eg, a central processing unit). In such an environment, one or more workflow states may be defined based on the current action and the history of actions within the host application itself, within the environment of the host application, within other third-party applications that interact with the host application, or otherwise in the workflow.

[0028] Initially, the term "context" points to that part of a text or statement that surrounds a particular word or passage and that determines the meaning of that part. In general, the term "context" describes a state or circumstances in which an event occurs. The event can e.g. be a search or other access to oilfield data while the arrangement of or the circumstances of (referred to as the relevant condition) may relate to aspects of the conduct of oilfield operations, such as the identity or profile of a user, a value/project position, aspects of oilfield data with which the user is working, aspects of oilfield software applications (eg, host application 300 ) and oilfield workflow used in the project (eg, the one or more workflow states described above), etc. Details of these aspects will be described in connection with fig.4 below. The current state can also be referred to as the current state of the user. In one or more embodiments, the context information may be categorized into context information categories according to these aspects. These context information categories can be referred to as relevance dimensions.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 3.1, the host application 300 may include a three-dimensional (3D) display device 302 that outlines a wellbore penetrating a subsurface formation to draw fluids from a subsurface reservoir. The host application 300 may also include a data log 301 that displays various geophysical parameters obtained from various sensors located around the wellbore, subsurface formation, subsurface reservoir, or any other part of the oil field. In one or more embodiments, the host application 300 may be a geoscience application executed on a computer system and used in conjunction with reservoir development where a user (eg, a geophysicist) may need to verify information from the data log 301 by searching or otherwise accessing various data sources (not shown). The host application 300 is typically stored on a computer-readable medium containing instructions for execution on a computer system.

[0030] Fig.3.2 shows a data context window 303 deployed from and displayed in the host application 300 (or associated environments as discussed above) in accordance with one or more embodiments of the data context service. The data context service window 303 may present the results (ie, oilfield data items such as data entry from a database or other relevant documents, files, reports, web content, etc.) from various searches performed based on context information extracted from the host application 300 in the form of one or more search profiles. The data context service window 303 can be activated from the host application 300 so that the search results can be used directly in the host application 300. The activation can be performed manually or automatically based on certain conditions detected in the host application 300. Details of the data context service window 303 are provided below.

[0031] Fig.4 shows an example of a schematic diagram for the data context service during the execution of the oil field operation in accordance with one or more embodiments. Fig.4 includes a user application (ie, a host application) 710, an operating environment 410, a third party application 420, an application programming interface 712, a context service engine 714, several associated devices 700, 411-414, a warehouse 420, first and second projects 730, 732, a user 734, an oilfield object 736, and a workflow 738. The repository 420 is further shown to store quality criteria 415, search result 416, search profile 417, record 418 of frequently used phrases, and information 419 about application usage.

[0032] The host application 710 may correspond to the host application 300 as discussed in connection with Figures 3.1 and 3.2 above. The host application 710 may be used by the user 734 in the oil field project 730 , 732 as part of a workflow, such as the workflow 738 . As discussed above, the arrangement may include the host application 710 executing in the operational environment 410 and interacting with one or more third party applications 420 within the operating environment 410.

The workflow 738 may further include multiple actions performed within the applications 710 , 420 and the operational environment 410 performed in a predetermined order to perform the oil field operation in connection with the oil field project 730 , 732 .

[0033] In one or more embodiments, the context service engine 714 may be configured to extract context information from the current state of the user 734 in the arrangement described above. In one or more embodiments, the context information may be extracted from the host application 710 via the application programming interface 712. In one or more embodiments, the context information may also be extracted from the operating environment 410 or the third party application 420 via the application programming interface 712. In one or more embodiments, the extracted context information may be modified by the user 734.

[0034] In one or more embodiments, the context service engine 714 may be unstructured with search engine functionality. In one or more embodiments, the context service engine 714 may be designed to work with a third party application (eg, 420 ) that has search engine functionality. The third party application 420 can e.g. respond to a search engine application. The search engine functionality may include search engine indexing that collects, sorts and stores data to facilitate rapid and accurate information retrieval. In one or more embodiments, the context service engine 714 may be configured to use search indexes stored locally. The context service engine 714 may further be configured to use search indexes from other services, such as the third party application 420 .

[0035] In one or more embodiments, the application programming interface 712 may provide functionality to configure and activate the context service engine 714 from a deployment point in the host application 710 to provide search results 416, where the search results are provided using the search engine functionality based on extracted context information as described above. Based on the position of execution of the context service engine 714 in the host application 710, the context may change accordingly. In one or more embodiments, the application programming interface 712 may provide functionality to allow the context service engine 714 to access a third-party engine functionality or a third-party search index from the third-party application 420. In one or more embodiments, the application programming interface 712 may provide functionality to do so enabling the context service engine 714 to send search results 416 to the third party application 420 .

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4, the workflow 738 may be a current workflow executed in the associated host application 710 or a previous workflow in the project 730, 732 that has been completed previously. The workflow 738 may be associated with a workflow name, a role for the workflow, and a workflow date. The workflow date may be related to a date when the workflow 738 was performed. The user 734 may be a member of the project 730, 732 and be associated with a title and/or role for the project.

[0037] The project 730, 732 can also be associated with a project name, a role for the project, a project position, a project date and/or an object such as the object 736. The project date can be related to a start date, a current date and/or a planned date for the oil field operation. The object 736 may be a wellbore, a subsurface formation, a subsurface reservoir, or any other part of the oil field, such as those discussed in connection with Figures 3.1 and 3.2 above. The object 736 may be associated with an object position, an object date, an object name, a serial number or other identifications of the object. The object date may be related to an event in connection with the object 736 such as a date of geological survey, drilling, completion, production, etc.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 4, the context service engine 714 can further be connected to several user devices, such as the context search device 700, the data quality device 411, the data marking device 412, the search suggestion device 413, and the workflow suggestion device 414, etc. The context search device 700 can represent any of the spatial context device, the object context device, the profile context device, the analog context device, the time frame context device, or combinations thereof, as described in US Patent Application No. 12/198,780, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. Although not specifically shown in FIG. 4, any number of these context search devices described above may be coupled to the context service engine 714.

[0039] In one or more embodiments, the context search device 700 and the data quality device 411 may be designed to provide functionality to provide search results 416 based on the spatial context, the object context, the profile context, the analog context, the time frame context, quality criteria, or combinations thereof. In one or more embodiments, other devices and appliances 412, 413, 414 may be adapted to provide functionality to assist in providing search results 416 by providing hints to the user 734. One or more search profiles 417 may be generated for these context search applications, such as the spatial context search profile, the object context search profile, the profile context search profile, the analog context search profile, and the timeframe context search profile as described below.

[0040] In one or more embodiments, the context search device 700 may be designed as the spatial context device and may provide search results 416 by evaluating geographic proximity for a search candidate (with both structured and unstructured formats) with respect to a position of interest. The evaluation can be performed as a distance ranking using a computer heuristic. In one or more embodiments, the spatial context device generates the spatial context search profile to be used in conjunction with the search engine functionality in conjunction with the context service engine 714 to provide the search results 416. In one or more embodiments, a relevance score for the search results 416 may be generated based on the spatial context search profile. Details of the spatial context device are described with respect to Fig. 6 below.

[0041] In one or more embodiments, the context search device 700 is configured as the object context device and can provide search results 416 by evaluating a relevance measure for a search candidate (with both structured and unstructured formats) with respect to a name, a serial number, or an identification for a well site, a wellbore, a processing facility, part of the subsurface formation, part of the reservoir or any other part of the oil field. According to one example, the evaluation can be performed as a word pattern matching ranking using a computer heuristic. In one or more embodiments, the object context device generates the object context search profile to be used in conjunction with the search engine functionality in conjunction with the context service engine 714 to provide the search results 416. In one or more embodiments, a relevance score for the search results 416 may be generated based on the object context search profile.

[0042] In one or more embodiments, the context search device 700 is configured as the profile context device and may provide search results 416 by evaluating a relevance measure for a search candidate (with both structured and unstructured formats) with respect to a name of the project, a role of the project, a name of the workflow, a role of the workflow, a title of the user, a role of the user, a name of the host application, or a role of the host application.

The evaluation can be performed as a word pattern matching of names (eg of the project, workflow or host application) in relation to a predetermined relationship in relation to a user title or roles (eg of the project, workflow, user or host application) using a computer heuristic. For example, a title "geophysicist" can be associated using a redefined relationship with a search candidate (with both structured and unstructured formats) that has word patterns "geophysical survey report" in a title, content, or other attributes of the search candidate (with both structured and unstructured formats) to provide a high relevance measure. The profile context device also has the ability to identify and display the most relevant results for the given profile based on usage statistics (eg, 419) performed on the collected information (eg, 416). The "favorite information" of users who have the same profile is consequently displayed. In one or more embodiments, the profile context device generates and/or stores the profile context search profile to be used in conjunction with the search engine functionality in conjunction with the context service engine 714 to provide the search results 416. In one or more embodiments, a relevance score for the search results 416 may be generated and/or stored based on the profile context search profile.

[0043] In one or more embodiments, the context search device 700 is configured as the analog context device and can provide search results 416 by evaluating a relevance measure for a search candidate (with both structured and unstructured formats) with respect to a characteristic or attribute of the data being used. in the host application 710 or the workflow 738. The evaluation may be performed by comparing the similarity between the host application data and data associated with a search candidate (with both structured and unstructured formats) using a computer heuristic. The host application 710 can e.g. be a reservoir simulator that calculates flow rate data and can be associated with a search candidate (with both structured and unstructured formats) that has similar data to provide a high relevance measure. In one or more embodiments, the analog context device generates and/or stores the analog context search profile to be used in conjunction with the search engine functionality in conjunction with the context service engine 714 to provide the search results 416. In one or more embodiments, a relevance score for the search results 416 is generated and/or or stored based on the analog context search profile.

[0044] In one or more embodiments, the context search device 700 is designed as the time frame context device and may provide search results 416 by evaluating temporal proximity to a search candidate (with both structured and unstructured formats) with respect to, e.g., a workflow date or an object date . The evaluation can be carried out by using a computer heuristic to identify and date related information associated with the search candidate (in both structured and unstructured formats) and compare it with e.g. the project date, workflow date, or object date. The date-related information can be extracted from a title, a content, a timestamp or other attributes associated with the search candidate (in both structured and unstructured formats). In one or more embodiments, the time frame context device generates and stores the search profile for the time frame context to be used in conjunction with the search engine functionality associated with the context service engine 714 to provide the search results 416. In one or more embodiments, a relevance score for the search results 416 is generated and stored based on the search profile for the timeframe context.

[0045] In one or more embodiments, the data quality device 411 may be configured to provide functionality to provide search results 416 based on a quality measure. The quality measure may include various quality criteria 415 such as completeness, consistency, validity, uniqueness, etc. Completeness may correspond to the extent to which the oil field data element in the search results 416 includes all required attributes. The oil field data element can e.g. be a well and the attributes may include a name, a serial number, a position, a drilling date, etc. The consistency may correspond to the extent to which the attributes of the oil field data element in the search results 416 are consistent across different data sources. The oil field data element can e.g. be obtained from a database, a spreadsheet, a report, a website, etc. Validity may correspond to the degree to which the attributes of the oilfield data element are correct, internally consistent, and meet common standards. The validity quality measure can e.g. be associated with a predetermined verification procedure. The uniqueness may correspond to the extent to which a value for an attribute uniquely defines a specific oil data element. Each well name should e.g. uniquely identify a particular well. In other or more embodiments, the different quality criteria 415 for the quality measure may be user-selected.

[0046] In one or more embodiments, when the data quality device 411 is activated, the search mechanism of the context service engine 714 combines the selected quality criteria 415 and one or more search profiles 417 associated with the context search devices. The context service engine 714 provides e.g. search results 416 using associated search engine functionality according to the various search profiles 417 described above. Quality measures of these search results 416 can then be obtained using the data quality device 411 according to the selected quality criteria 415. The relevant score (point value) for these search results 416 can further be adjusted based on the quality measures. In one or more embodiments, poor quality portions of the search results 416 may be eliminated if the associated quality measure falls below a predetermined threshold. In one or more embodiments, the quality measure is obtained by the data quality device 411 from a third party data quality engine (not shown), and the quality criterion is selected by the user from quality criteria provided by the third party data quality engine. An example of using the quality criteria 415 in combination with the search profiles 417 is described in connection with fig.8 below.

[0047] In one or more embodiments, a label cloud is a visual representation of labels or labels with corresponding weights reflecting the importance of each label. Tags are usually single words and are typically listed alphabetically in the tag cloud with the importance of a tag expressed based on font size and/or color to allow a tag to be found alphabetically or by its meaning. In one or more embodiments, the data tagger 412 may be designed to generate the frequently used phrase records 418 based on search results 416 from various searches performed by the context service engine 714 in an accumulative manner. In one or more embodiments, the data tagging device 412 may be designed to organize the frequently used phase registration 418 based on context information in connection with the various searches performed by the context service engine 714. In one or more embodiments, the data tagging device 412 may be designed to generate a label cloud from a relevant search result provided each time a search is performed by the context service engine 714, where the weight of each label is determined based on the label's appearance in the frequently used phrase record 418. When the user 734 selects one of the labels in the label cloud when reviewing the relevant search result, it may the selected label is added as an additional search restriction to be combined with the search profiles 417 to perform a new search to refine the relevant search result. In one or more embodiments, the data tagging functionality may be integrated into the context service engine 714 without the separate data tagging device 412. An example of the label cloud is described in connection with Fig. 7 below.

[0048] In one or more embodiments, the search suggestion device 413 may be designed to provide one or more suggestions to help the user 734 select effective search criteria based on the context information extracted from the current state of the user 734 as well as application usage information 419 maintained using the search proposal device 413. The proposal can e.g. be in the form of an automatic completion of keywords, keyword suggestions or suggestions for search profiles. Details of the suggestions provided by the search suggestion device 413 are described in connection with the examples outlined in Figures 7 and 8 below.

[0049] In one or more embodiments, the workflow suggestion device 414 may be configured to provide predictive analysis and suggestions for future workflow steps, decisions, and processes to the user 734 based on the context information extracted from the current state of the user 734 as well as as application usage information 419 maintained by the workflow suggestion device 414. In one or more embodiments, the workflow suggestion generation device 414 may be designed to maintain (ie, capture, accumulate, update, or otherwise manage) the application usage information 419, such as relevant statistics and pattern of user interaction with an oilfield model (eg modeling a well, a well site, a treatment plant or other oilfield objects). The user interaction with the oilfield model can e.g. include information regarding workflow and/or decisions, results of workflow and/or decisions, data used in the workflow and/or decisions and correlations in user interaction with the data, searches performed with corresponding frequencies, etc.

[0050] In one or more embodiments, the context service engine 714 coupled to the workflow suggestion device 414 may be integrated with a smart workflow system (not shown) to assist, capture, and track individual workflow processes in the smart workflow system by providing discussion and decision tracking among several users of related oil field projects.

[0051] In one or more embodiments, one or more of the devices (eg, 700, 411-414) may be combined into a generic system that performs the functionality of one or more of the devices as a single system. One or more devices may further be combined, replaced or not included. Combination of selected devices can be carried out, and the configuration can be carried out statistically, dynamically or by choice from the user 734. The search suggestion device 413 and/or the workflow suggestion device 414 can e.g. be combined with the profile context device as one context device.

[0052] Fig.5 is a flow diagram outlining a method for using the data context service from a host/user application to perform oil field operations in accordance with one or more embodiments. In one or more embodiments, one or more of the parts shown in Fig. 5 may be omitted, repeated and/or performed in a different order. Accordingly, embodiments of the data context service shall not be considered to be limited to the specific arrangements of the method shown in Fig.5.

[0053] In one or more embodiments, the method outlined in fig. 5 can be practiced by using the system described in connection with fig. 4 above. As described, the oilfield operation can be performed in a project workflow using a host application. Initially, the context information associated with the project is extracted from the host application (element 501). The context information can be related to spatial information in connection with the oil field project, a workflow in connection with the oil field project, an oil field object in connection with the oil field project, a time frame in connection with the oil field project, an analog context connected with the oil field project, a user role in the oil field project, etc. The extracted context information is sorted into several dimensions of relevance (i.e. context information categories described in connection with fig.

3.1 above) (item 502). The search profiles are then generated from the several relevance dimensions (element 503). A separate search profile can be generated from each of the relevance dimensions. A search profile can provide part of the search criteria based on whether a search for oilfield data elements can be performed. The effects of the multiple search profiles can be combined according to a weighted average method where the weighting of individual search profiles can be determined based on user input. User information from several users of the host application can possibly be obtained so that a possible suggested search phrase can be generated by correlating the context information with the user information.

[0054] In element 504, multiple searches are requested based on at least the search profile. The searches can also be limited by a possible search phrase.

If necessary, the searches may be based on a third-party search index. In element 505, one or more oil field data elements (from structured and/or unstructured formats) are received as results from the multiple searches. The results may possibly be sent to a third party application.

[0055] Upon receiving the results, a quality measure of an oil field data element, included in the results, can be obtained based on predetermined quality criteria (element 506). One or more phrases can optionally be identified from the oil field data element, where each phase is associated with a corresponding usage target based on a record of frequently used phrases. The purpose of use can e.g. generated from searches performed by multiple users of the host application. A phrase can then be selected, e.g. by the user, as a search term from one or more phrases based on corresponding usage targets. Further searches can therefore be requested to refine the result by limiting the searches with the search term in addition to using the search profile. If the quality measure exceeds a predetermined threshold (element 507), then the oil field data element is sent to the host application as a search result (element 508). Otherwise, if the quality measure does not exceed the predetermined threshold (item 507), the process may be terminated or continued until the quality measure exceeds the predetermined threshold. In element 509 , an output may be generated using the host application based on the search result, and the oil field operation (eg, an exploration operation, a drilling operation, a simulator operation, and a treatment operation, etc.) is adjusted based on the output. In one or more embodiments, the output is stored (e.g., in a warehouse or on another readable storage medium) and the oil field operation (e.g., an exploration operation, a drilling operation, a simulator operation, and a processing operation, etc.) is adjusted based on the output stored in the warehouse.

[0056] The elements in parts of or the whole process can be repeated as desired. Repeated elements can be selectively performed until satisfactory results are achieved. Elements can e.g. repeated after adjustments have been made. In this example, the repeated elements may be performed to improve the relevance measure of the search results and/or to determine the impact of the changes made.

[0057] Fig.6 shows the data context service window 603 in accordance with one or more embodiments. The data context service window 603 displays various search results that are organized into several pages. Each page can be retrieved using an associated button. Fig.6 includes, as shown, the result page 610 for the spatial context search, the result page 609 for the object context search, the result page 608 for the profile context search and the result page 607 from the analog context search. Each of these pages includes search results provided using the spatial context device, the object context device, the profile context device, and the analog context device.

[0058] The search results that are presented in the results page from the spatial context search 610 include e.g. search results titled "USGS Southwell Shale light sand report" 614, "Marathon Study of the lower Galveston Basin" 615, "B. McKinney - Obs Report" 616, "TE-25 East Timballer Island Sediment Restoration, Phase 1" 617 and " SL 1366 Well Review Information" 618. These search results are provided based on a current context "Within 30k of 29º45'47'' N, 95º21'47''W" as shown in the current context field 611, which describes a geographic area within a distance of 30 km from a point of interest specified as "29º45'47''N, 95º21'47''W". The position of interest can be the project position, the object position or another position of interest within the oilfield operations project. Each of the search results 614-618 is provided based on the relevant context resulting from at least one associated geographic location that falls within the geographic area centered on the location of interest. Each search candidate can be selected because the geographic location is linked to the title, context or another aspect of the search candidate.

[0059] The results page 610 for the spatial context search also includes relevance measure 613 (eg relevance score or score of 96, 94, 90, 84, 76) and an action item 619 (eg open, load, watch) for each of the search results. The relevance measure 613 can be a measure of geographic proximity for the associated geographic position of the position of interest. The purpose of the search can be configured using the search aperture 606. The distance of 30 km can e.g. is adjusted based on different settings of the search aperture 606.

[0060] As shown in Fig.6, the action elements 619 for each of the search results can be presented as selectable options for the user. The search results 614 and 617 are e.g. outlined with an "OPEN" action, search results 616 and 618 are outlined with a "VIEW" action, and search result 615 is displayed with a "LOAD" action. In another example, more than one available action may be selected for a search result. Although the action elements outlined in Fig.6 only include open, load and watch actions, those skilled in the art will recognize that other action elements may be implemented to affect the selected results. A selected result can e.g. saved as a spreadsheet file, text file, Keyhole Markup Language (KML) file, Extensible Markup Language (XML) file, or other usable formats. In another example, a selected result can be sent to an email recipient.

[0061] In one or more embodiments, one or more interfaces (eg, implemented via the user programming interface 714 of FIG. 4) between the host application (710 of FIG. 4) and the context service engine 714 of FIG. 4) are between the host application ( 710 in fig.4) and the context service engine (714 in fig.4), be defined for operations such as watch, load, save, send to and open. "Send to" refers to the ability to collect all relevant information related to selected data elements and deliver the information to a target application interface via a menu, at which point the information is reformatted and appropriately used by the target application. Different implementations of these interfaces can then be registered in the host application (710 in Fig.4) and can appear as choices in the user interface, e.g. as outlined in fig.6. If the user selects one of these options (eg, view, load, save, send to, and open), the host application (710 in FIG. 4) extracts the selected data from the relevant search result set and activates the registered implementation of the interface with the selected the data. The implementation can then perform the desired operation (eg "Save" to or "Send to" a desired file format, etc.).

[0062] In one or more embodiments, each of the search results 614-618 can be selected for additional actions that can be activated using the action buttons 604 or 605. The search results 614 and 617 are e.g. shown as selected using checkmarks next to the relevance scores of the relevance measure 613. In this example, the additional actions may be a mapping function 604 or an archiving function 605. In one or more embodiments, the archiving function may be used to designate the search results to a "shared" status for cooperation. Although only two action buttons are illustrated in FIG. 6, those skilled in the art will recognize that any number of action buttons or other user interface mechanisms (eg, clicking the right mouse button) can be implemented to provide any number of further actions. In one or more embodiments, these additional actions may be available via individually labeled windows.

[0063] Figures 7 and 8 show examples of windows for the data context service in further configurations. The example shown in Fig. 7 includes a "go ahead" key 711, a keyword input field 722, search result selection buttons 713, a drop-down menu 715, a summary image 717 of search results, a search result mapping pane 719, and a search label pane 721 The display example illustrated in Fig. 8 outlines a search profile window activated via the "go ahead" key 711. In one or more embodiments, the search profile window may be designed in many different formats, e.g. shown or hidden as a viewport.

[0064] As shown in Fig. 7, the input field 722 for search terms can be configured to receive search terms entered by a user to limit the search further, where the search terms are added in addition to the search profiles described in connection with Fig. 4 above . As discussed above, the search suggestion device 413 of FIG. 4 present suggested expressions in the drop-down menu for suggested keywords 715 based on the current state of the user (eg, different profiles, workflow states, etc.), the selected search profiles, and/or the application of the user information maintained by the search suggestion device. The drop-down menu 715 for search suggestions can e.g. is activated by a user who accesses a context menu in the input field 722 for search terms, where the user seeks guidance in relation to further limiting the search.

[0065] Even if the user further enters a search word in the search word field 722, the search suggestion device can be arranged to perform auto-completion by modifying the suggested expressions in the search suggestion menu 715 so that it matches the characters already entered.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 7, the selection tabs 713 for search results may further be arranged to format the search results page into a map format, a timeline format, a list format, or other formats not specifically shown in FIG. 7. As shown in fig.

7, the search results page in map format includes the search results summary pane 717 and the search results map pane 719, which can be provided with the search profile window activated via the "advanced" button 711 as an alternative format to the results page 610 for the spatial search described in connection with FIG. 6 above. In this case, the search results are identified at marked positions 5, 6, 11, 16, 25 in the search result map pane 719 with corresponding summary information listed in the search result summary pane 717, where search result details can be accessed by selecting (e.g. via mouse click or swipe ) of some of the marked positions in the map window 719 with search results or the listed elements in the summary pane 717 with search results.

[0067] The label cloud pane 721 additionally shows a label cloud generated by means of the data marking device 412 which is described in connection with Fig. 4 above. In this example, the labels in the label cloud pane 721 are extracted from the search result details contained in the search results summary pane 717 and the search results map pane 719. As shown, the labels are listed in alphabetical order with respective font sizes corresponding to the frequency of occurrence tracked in the record 417 for frequently used phrases described in connection with Fig. 4 above.

[0068] As discussed above, the display example illustrated in FIG. 8 can be activated via the "proceed" button 711 outlined in FIG. 7 . As shown, the example includes a pane for each of the devices to display corresponding search profiles or quality criteria, where each of the panes can be expanded or reduced. The spatial context route 831 is e.g. shown as expanded with various parameter fields 839 to specify the spatial search profile. The quality criteria pane 834 and the timeframe context pane 835 are likewise also shown as expanded with various parameter fields to specify the selected quality criteria profile and timeframe search profile. The object context pane 832, the profile text pane 833 and additional context panes 836, 837 are shown reduced.

[0069] Initially, the various parameters in each pane of the search profile window as described above contain normal values determined based on context information from when the context service engine was activated in the host application. In one or more embodiments, the search profile window allows the user to selectively modify the various parameters. The user modification can only last in the next search, for the duration of the context service engine is active until the user resets the search profiles or quality criteria to the normal values or according to other predetermined means.

[0070] In one or more embodiments, the search profile window enables a user to combine search profiles/quality criteria corresponding to the different dimensions of relevance, such as spatial dimension, object dimension, profile dimension, time frame dimension, analog dimension, quality dimension, etc.

The user can e.g. specify the combination of the spatial and quality dimensions to obtain only quality data in a particular geographical area. As shown in Fig.8, the various search profiles/quality criteria 831-837 can be combined based on a weighted average configured using weighting controls 838, where each weighting control 838 controls the relative weighting of the individual search profile/quality criteria 831-837.

[0071] In one or more embodiments, the search suggestion device may be arranged to suggest the most commonly used parameter values in the various panes of the search profile window based on the context information and the user information as described above.

[0072] From the preceding description it will be understood that various modifications and changes can be made in the embodiments of the data context service without deviating from its actual framework. Additional context information categories, context applications and context search result pages can e.g. are added as new computer heuristics are developed. The context information can be extracted automatically or supplemented with user-entered information. The context-based search can be repeated according to the different configurations and search results that are compared and/or analyzed.

[0073] Embodiments of the data context service quality measure can be implemented on virtually any type of computer regardless of the platform used. As shown in fig.9, includes e.g. a computer system 900 one or more processors 902, associated storage 904 (e.g., random access memory (RAM), flash storage, flash storage, etc.), a storage device 906 (e.g., a hard disk, an optical drive such as a compact disc drive or a digital video disc (DVD), a storage chip, etc.), and many other elements and functionalities typical of today's computers (not shown). The computer 900 may also include input devices such as a keyboard 908, a mouse 910 or a microphone (not shown). The computer 900 may further include output devices, such as a monitor 912 (eg, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 900 may be connected to a network (not shown), e.g. a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, or a network of any similar type, with wired and/or wireless segments via a network interface connection (not shown). Those skilled in the art will understand that many different types of computer systems exist and that the input and output devices mentioned above can take other forms. Generally speaking, the computer system 900 may include at least the minimal processing, input and/or output devices necessary to implement embodiments of the data context service quality objective.

[0074] Those skilled in the field will further understand that one or more elements in the aforementioned computer system 900 can be located at a remote location and connected to other elements over a network 914. Embodiments of the quality measure for the data context service can further be implemented on a distributed system which has a number of nodes or hubs, where each part of the embodiment (e.g. different modules in fig.4) can be located on a different node in the distributed system. In one embodiment, the node corresponds to a computer system. The node can alternatively correspond to a processor with associated physical storage. Alternatively, the node may correspond to a processor with shared storage and/or shared resources. Software instructions for performing embodiments of the data context service quality measure may further be stored on a computer-readable storage medium such as a compact disc (CD), a diskette, a tape, a file, or any other computer-readable storage device. This description is only intended to illustrate and should not be construed in any limiting way.

[0075] The scope of the quality measure for the data context service shall be determined only by the language of the requirements that follow. The phrase "comprehensive" in the claims is intended to mean "at least including" such that quoted lists of elements in a claim are an open group, "a", "an" and other similar expressions are intended to include the plural forms thereof unless these are specifically excluded.

Claims (20)

PATENT CLAIMS 1. Method for providing a data context service, comprising: extracting context information from a host application associated with an oil field project to analyze an oil field operation of an oil field, where the context information includes a current state to analyze the oil field operation in the host application; to sort the context information into a plurality of relevance dimensions, where the plurality of relevance dimensions comprise a profile context related to a first identity of the oil field project, an object context related to a second identity of an oil field object in the oil field and an analogous context related to a characteristic of the oil field data used in the host application; generating a plurality of search profiles for each relevance dimension, comprising a first search profile adapted to evaluate a first relevance measure regarding the first identity of the oilfield project, a second search profile adapted to evaluate a second relevance measure regarding the second identity of the oilfield object, and a third search profile adapted to evaluate a third relevance measure regarding the characteristics of oil field data used in the host application; automatically requesting a first plurality of searches using at least the search profiles; receiving a plurality of oil field data items as a result of the first plurality of searches based on the first relevance measure, the second relevance measure and the third relevance measure; obtaining a quality measure for an oil field data element among the plurality of oil field data elements based on a predetermined quality criterion; sending the oil field data item as a search result to the host application after determining that the quality measure exceeds a predetermined threshold; and generating an output using the host application based on the search result, the output being used to perform the oil field operation. 2. Method according to claim 1, where the plurality of oil field data elements comprise structured data and unstructured data, wherein the oil field operation is at least one selected from a group consisting of an exploration operation, a drilling operation, a simulator operation and a processing operation, and where the context information concerns at least one selected from a group consisting of spatial information in connection with the oil field project, a workflow associated with the oil field project, an oil field object associated with the oil field project, a time frame associated with the oil field project, an analogous context associated with the oil field project and a user role in connection with the oil field project. 3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the quality measure is obtained from a third party data quality engine, and wherein the predetermined quality criterion is selected by a user from a plurality of quality criteria for the third party quality engine. 4. Method according to claim 1, further comprising: identifying, in the search result, a plurality of phrases each of which may be associated with a corresponding user target based on a record of frequently used phrases; selecting a phrase from the plurality of phrases based on the corresponding user target; and requesting a second plurality of searches using at least the search profile, the second plurality of searches being limited by the phrase. 5. Method according to claim 4, where the registration of frequently used phrases is generated from searches performed from the host application prior to sending the oil field data element as the search result. 6. Method according to claim 4, where the phrase is selected by the user from the plurality of phrases. 7. Method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving a third party search index wherein the first plurality of searches is based on the third party search index; and to send the search result and the quality measure to a third party application. 8. Method according to claim 1, further comprising: generating application usage information from a plurality of users of the host application prior to requesting the first plurality of searches; and to generate a suggested search phrase by correlating the context information with the user information, wherein the first plurality of searches are narrowed down using the suggested search phrase. 9. Method according to claim 1, further comprising: generating user information from a plurality of users of the host application prior to requesting the first plurality of searches; and generating a suggested workflow action by correlating the context information with the user information, wherein the first plurality of searches are limited by the proposed workflow action. 10. System for providing a data context service, comprising: a database; and a repository that stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, include functionality for: to extract context information from a host application in connection with an oil field project to analyze an oil field operation of an oil field, where the context information comprises a current state to analyze the oil field operation in the host application stored in the database, to sort the context information into a plurality of relevance dimensions, where the plurality of relevance dimensions comprise a profile context related to a first identity of the oil field project, an object context related to a second identity of an oil field object in the oil field and an analogous context related to a characteristic of the oil field data used in the host application; generating a plurality of search profiles for any relevance dimension and storing the search profiles in the database, comprising a first search profile adapted to evaluate a first relevance measure regarding the first the identity of the oilfield project, a second search profile adapted to evaluate a second relevance measure regarding the second identity of the oilfield object and a third search profile adapted to evaluate a third relevance measure regarding the characteristic of oilfield data used in the host application to automatically request a first plurality of searches using at least the search profiles; receiving a plurality of oil field data items as a result of the first plurality of searches based on the first relevance measure, the second relevance measure and the third relevance measure, obtaining a quality measure for an oil field data element among the plurality of oil field data elements, based on a predetermined quality criterion, sending the oil field data element as a search result to the host application after determining that the quality measure exceeds a predetermined threshold; to generate an output using the host application based on the search result, to store the output in the database, where the output is used to perform an oil field operation. 11. System according to claim 10, where the plurality of oil field data elements comprise structured data and unstructured data, wherein the oil field operation is at least one selected from a group consisting of an exploration operation, a drilling operation, a simulator operation and a treatment operation, and where the context information relates to at least one selected from a group consisting of spatial information in connection with the oil field project, a workflow in connection with the oil field project, an oil field object in connection with the oil field project, a time frame in connection with the oil field project, an analog context in connection with the oil field project and a user role in in connection with the oil field project. 12. System according to claim 10, wherein the quality measure is obtained from a third party data quality engine, and wherein the predetermined quality criterion is selected by a user from among a plurality of quality criteria for the third party quality engine. 13. System according to claim 10, where instructions, which when executed by the processor, further comprise functionality for: identifying, in the search result, a plurality of phrases each associated with a corresponding user target based on a record of frequently used phrases; selecting a phrase from the number of phrases based on the corresponding user target; and requesting a second plurality of searches using at least the search profile, the second plurality of searches being limited by the phase. 14. System according to claim 13, where the registration of frequently used phrases is generated from searches performed from the host application prior to sending the oil field data element as a search result. 15. System according to claim 13, where the phrase is selected by a user from among the plurality of phrases. 16. Computer-readable storage medium for storing instructions that can be executed on a processor in a computer system, where the instructions include functionality to provide a computer context service, by: extracting context information from a host application associated with an oil field project to analyze an oil field operation of an oil field, where the context information comprises a current state to analyze the oil field operation in the host application; to sort the context information into a plurality of relevance dimensions, where the plurality of relevance dimensions comprises a profile context related to a first identity of the oil field project, an object context related to a second identity of an oil field object in the oil field and an analogous context related to a characteristic of the oil field data used in the host application; generating a plurality of search profiles for each relevance dimension, comprising a first search profile adapted to evaluate a first relevance measure regarding the first identity of the oilfield project, a second search profile adapted to evaluate a second relevance measure regarding the second identity of the oilfield object and a third search profile adapted to evaluate a third relevance measure regarding the characteristics of oil field data used in the host application; automatically requesting a first plurality of searches using at least the search profiles; receiving a plurality of oil field data items as a result of the first plurality of searches based on the first relevance measure, the second relevance measure and the third relevance measure; providing a quality measure for an oil field data element among the plurality of oil field data elements based on a predetermined quality criterion; sending the oil field data item as a search result to the host application after determining that the quality measure exceeds a predetermined threshold; generating an output using the host application based on the search result; and to store the output as it is used to carry out an oil field operation. 17. Computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, where the instructions further include functionality to provide a data context service, by: generating user information from a plurality of users of the host application prior to requesting the first plurality of searches, and generating a suggested search phrase by correlating the context information with the user information, and where the first plurality of searches are narrowed using the suggested search phrase. 18. Computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, where the instructions further include functionality to provide a data context service, by: generating user information from a plurality of users of the host application prior to requesting the first plurality of searches, and generating a suggested workflow action by correlating the context information with the user information, and wherein the first plurality of searches are limited by the proposed workflow action. 19. Computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, where the plurality of oil field data elements comprise structured data and unstructured data, wherein the oil field operation is at least one selected from a group consisting of an exploration operation, a drilling operation, a simulator operation and a treatment operation, and where the context information concerns at least one selected from a group consisting of spatial information associated with the oil field project, a workflow associated with the oil field project, an oil field object associated with the oil field project, a timeframe associated with the oil field project, an analog context associated with the oil field project and a user role associated with the oil field project. 20. Computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the quality measure is obtained from a third party data quality engine, and wherein the predetermined quality criterion is selected by a user from a plurality of quality criteria for the third party quality engine.