Management of Geophysical Data in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry

This study examines the management of geophysical data assets in the Nigerian petroleum industry, assessing data quality, storage, accessibility, and utilisation practices across national and international companies operating in Nigeria. Geophysical data including seismic reflection surveys, well logs, and potential field datasets represent enormous investment in the Nigerian petroleum sector and constitute a critical national knowledge asset for continued hydrocarbon resource evaluation and development. Poor data management practices result in data loss, duplication, and under-utilisation of existing datasets. This study uses an institutional survey approach, collecting data from 18 organisations including the Department of Petroleum Resources (now NUPRC), NNPC Exploration Division, three IOCs, and six indigenous exploration companies through structured questionnaires and key informant interviews. Data management dimensions assessed include data acquisition documentation, storage standards, data room access protocols, digital archiving practices, and regulatory compliance with NIPEX data submission requirements. Findings reveal significant variation in data management quality between IOCs and indigenous companies, with IOCs maintaining higher standards for SEG-Y seismic data archiving, well log documentation, and acquisition parameter records. The NIPEX National Data Repository contains critical gaps in data coverage for onshore blocks where documentation was inadequate during licencing rounds. A significant proportion of legacy seismic data from pre-digital acquisitions exists in analogue form at risk of deterioration. The study concludes that a national geophysical data management framework is urgently needed and recommends a NUPRC-led legacy data rescue programme and harmonised digital data submission standards.

Keywords: geophysical data management, petroleum industry, NIPEX, seismic data, Nigeria.