Innovation #23

Innovative Achievements

50 YEARS OF GULF OF MEXICO OCS PRODUCTION DATA RELEASED ON CD

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) announced today the release of a CD-ROM containing data covering a half-century of production from every natural gas and oil well in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf. This release coincides with the 50th anniversary of the offshore industry and the 15th anniversary year of MMS.

"During our anniversary year, MMS continues to identify innovative ways to meet customer needs," said MMS Director Cynthia Quarterman. "Compiling this frequently requested information and making it readily available on CD will provide better service to our customers in the natural gas and oil industry and the many financial analysts who follow the industry by cutting research time and paperwork."

In the past, only two methods of researching this information were available. One was onsite research in the Gulf of Mexico Region's Public Information Office, where each year an average of over 500 people spent from several hours to several days in research time. The second method was to purchase printouts, at costs ranging from $80 for the production history of one well to over $4,000 for the production history of all wells (over 36,000) in the Gulf of Mexico. Further, only 27 years of information were available. Now, for just $30, customers can have instant and continuous access to 50 years of production, thus saving both time and money.

The disc includes every monthly production report from January 1947 through December 1996, and shows the amount of natural gas and oil produced according to lease, geographical area block, well, and month. Oil production is indicated in barrels per day, and natural gas production in thousand cubic feet per month. The data on the CD consists of almost 150,000 pages of monthly natural gas and oil activity reports that previously filled 360 floppy diskettes. The compilation and digitizing of these records by MMS packages these 50 years' production data into a compact and easy-to-use format.

The CD is self-contained with an Adobe Acrobat reader ready for downloading for viewing on any personal computer, even those with modest capability. The CD comes with detailed instructions for downloading Acrobat and for using the disc to obtain required information. Copies of the CD-ROM can be ordered by calling 1-800-200-GULF, or by sending a fax to (504) 736-2620.

MMS is the federal agency that manages the Nation's natural gas, oil, and other mineral resources in the Outer Continental Shelf, and collects, accounts for, and disburses about $4 billion in revenues each year from federal offshore mineral leases and from onshore mineral leases on Federal and Indian lands.

-MMS-

MMS Internet website address: http://www.mms.gov
24 hour Fax-on-Demand Service:(202) 219-1703