Overview

Synspective’s satellite data solution service, Land Displacement Monitoring (LDM), enables continuous monitoring of the ground surface and comprehensive understanding of geophysical risks such as landslides. Using the LDM service, we analyzed ground movements at the Tengiz oilfield in Kazakhstan’s low-lying wetlands.

 

Issue

Satellites make it possible to regularly monitor and assess ground changes over time in the oilfields.  It is also possible to estimate oil and gas production by combining it with past oil production, which can be used for predicting future oil prices.

 

Result

Analyzing satellite images for approximately two years and detecting time-series ground movements, it was shown that there was an inclination of subsidence over a wide area of ​​the mining area.

In the above map, changes over time are analyzed and recorded; the darker the color, red being the darkest, the greater inclination for land subsidence; the closer the dot is to blue indicates a greater inclination for accretion. As shown, the subsidence spreads out in the form of a circle from the mining site’s center area, allowing the viewer to monitor range and progression. In places with greater inclination, we could observe changes of several centimeters over a single year.

 

Benefits

Using the LDM service, we were able to identify subtle ground changes and trends at the Tengiz Oilfield.  Given these results, LDM can provide numerous benefits including:

• Observation of impact at ground facilities
• Production strategy optimization support
• Reduction in oil management costs
• ​​Detection and understanding of ground changes indiscernible to optical sensors
• Alert warnings and near real-time monitoring 

 

Solution Features

• Able to analyze ground displacement trends in horizontal and vertical directions with millimeter accuracy 
• Able to understand historical changes over time with wide-area monitoring capabilities of multiple sites anywhere on Earth simultaneously 
• Use of In-SAR analysis technology system 
• The first technology in Japan able to detect sinkholes
• Automated analysis 
• Easy-to-use user interface 
• PDF report

 

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