Cimarex utilizes INTViewer and its Java-based plugin API to create proprietary algorithms for implementing new exploration technologies in a quick and cost-effective manner.

The Challenge

Cimarex technical staff wanted to provide their interpreters with a Windows-based solution for solving exploration problems and complex post-processing R&D issues. They also recognized the need to offer an efficient solution for rapid random access of pre-stack SEGY data on the desktop.

However, Cimarex could not justify the cost of providing license-limiting systems (bulky and expensive) to every interpreter. Furthermore, some of those systems required data conversion to proprietary formats which complicated matters when dealing with terabytes of pre-stack data. The search was on to find a cost-effective means to satisfy their needs.

The INT Solution

Cimarex licensed INTViewer, a simple yet powerful solution for viewing large random seismic datasets in a variety of formats, including SEGY. INTViewer also features a plugin architecture that allowed Cimarex to easily create a number of specialized batch and interactive processes, extending the functionality of the viewer. Tools provided with INTViewer that were used for this project include:

• SeismicDataAdapter – a Java API for reading and writing seismic data using fast random access
• Processing Plugin – a simple interface for integrating interactive processing algorithms within INTViewer

INTViewer handles fast random access of seismic data using the SeismicDataAdapter API. This API, which supports both read and write operations, allowed Cimarex to create proprietary batch and interactive processing modules.

The Results

INTViewer, with its plugin architecture, provided Cimarex with a framework that allowed them to create new utilities and applications easily and in a timely manner to answer their exploration needs. As of this writing, Cimarex has created more than 32 interactive and batch applications which greatly contribute to their exploration successes, saving both time and money by reducing post-processing requests for their vendors.

About Cimarex

Cimarex Energy Co. is a Denver-based independent oil and gas exploration and production company with principal operations in the Mid-Continent, Gulf Coast, Permian Basin and Gulf of Mexico.