Oil and gas development potential in the US Intermountain West
Dates
Publication Date
2020-10-01
Time Period
2007-01-01
Citation
Copeland, H.E., Doherty, K.E., Naugle, D.E., Pocewicz, A., and Kiesecker, J.M., 2020, Oil and gas development potential in the US Intermountain West: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9BXEH62.
Summary
We created a probabilistic classification model using the nonparametric machine learning technique 'Random Forests' for oil and gas development potential from low (0) to high (1) across the western US. The six predictor variables used in the model were: geophysical data showing aeromagnetic, isostatic gravity, and Bouguer gravity anomalies, geology, topography and bedrock depth. Our binary response variable was geospatial point data on producing and non-producing oil and gas wells. Our estimates provide insights into the trajectory and eventual endpoint of oil and gas development, but the rate and exact location of development will be subject to additional factors not considered such as market demand, the capacity to transport oil [...]
Summary
We created a probabilistic classification model using the nonparametric machine learning technique 'Random Forests' for oil and gas development potential from low (0) to high (1) across the western US. The six predictor variables used in the model were: geophysical data showing aeromagnetic, isostatic gravity, and Bouguer gravity anomalies, geology, topography and bedrock depth. Our binary response variable was geospatial point data on producing and non-producing oil and gas wells. Our estimates provide insights into the trajectory and eventual endpoint of oil and gas development, but the rate and exact location of development will be subject to additional factors not considered such as market demand, the capacity to transport oil or gas to consumers, and federal air and water quality laws (e.g. Clean Air Act, climate change legislation).
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Related External Resources
Type: Related Primary Publication
Copeland, H. E., Doherty, K. E., Naugle, D. E., Pocewicz, A., & Kiesecker, J. M. (2009). Mapping Oil and Gas Development Potential in the US Intermountain West and Estimating Impacts to Species. PLoS ONE, 4(10), e7400. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0007400
The purpose of this dataset was to create a regional scale map of oil and gas potential across the western United States. Caution should be used in applying and interpreting these data. Our model uses coarse-scale data and thus provides a landscape or regional-scale assessment of oil and gas potential. It cannot predict site-scale potential and model predictions are constrained by the training data, which are wells drilled from the beginning of the record to 2007. Thus technological changes and advancements could decrease the accuracy of the results presented here.
