Top 4 Reasons Why Oil & Gas Companies Use Outsourcing Services for Their Mapping Needs

Outsourcing is a great way for upstream companies to save money and gain access to instant expertise.

Let’s face it … the market downturn has forced most upstream oil and gas companies to take a long, hard look at their current processes, to search for ways to bring down costs without bringing down quality, to strive to become more efficient in every corner of the enterprise.

The same can be said for GIS and mapping teams, who understand as well as anyone the importance of quality and efficiency. After all, what good is a map that’s inaccurate or put together three days after it was needed?

Of course, quality and efficiency don’t just happen, especially if certain challenges aren’t overcome. For mapping and GIS departments, those challenges are:

1. The inability to access property data on-demand
2. A backlog of mapping projects
3. Dated or incomplete data
4. Limited resources or no GIS department at all

Now let’s take a look at how outsourcing services can help mapping and GIS teams turn these challenges into opportunities, even in today’s down market.

1.) The Inability To Access Property Data On-Demand

Say your organization is considering a move to a new area or you simply need to see where all of your company’s lease expirations are. Digging through boxes of leases or making assumptions about the properties in question is risky business. A smarter approach would be to enlist the services of an outside mapping team, which can create custom maps on your behalf and deliver them to you in your desired format.

2.) A Backlog Of Mapping Projects

Perhaps your organization just acquired a company or some properties. What you need now, of course, is to get the corresponding information – leases, contracts, obligations, expirations, etc. – on a map. Herein lies the challenge: you have limited resources, but the information needs to be mapped to give everyone an up-to-date view of your company’s assets. Outsourcing services can clear your backlog of work and help keep your teams running at full speed.

3.) Dated Or Incomplete Data

It’s no secret that if you use stale or incomplete information, you run the risk of making a poor business decision. Maybe you need to see where the pipelines are in your areas of interest. Or maybe you need a view of where your competitors are operating and when their leases are set to expire. Whatever it is, a dedicated mapping team can help you reduce project costs and risks by creating an up-to-date GIS dataset customized to meet your specific business requirements.

4.) Limited Resources Or No GIS Department At All

The hiring process, the training process, computers, network hardware, software licenses, geographic data – all not cheap. When you go the outsourcing route, you’re leveraging an experienced team and infrastructure that’s already in place. That means lower costs for your business and access to instant knowledge for your teams.

Sure, resources may be a bit more limited and budgets may be a bit tighter these days.

But even in a down market, efficiency and quality can’t be sacrificed. With outsourcing services, you can ensure that they aren’t.

Want To Learn More?
Watch this webinar to learn more about how outsourcing services can help put efficiency and quality at the forefront of your operations.

About The Author
Todd’s oil and gas career got under way in 1997. After a brief recess from oil and gas to do GIS in the aeronautics industry, Todd was quickly lured back to the upstream GIS business. In total, he has 16 years of upstream GIS experience. Todd is a regular speaker at P2’s ASCEND conference and has also spoken at the ESRI Petroleum User Group. A runner, reader, and father, Todd graduated with a degree in Business Management from Metropolitan State University of Denver. He’s also an Eagle Scout.