What is National Data Repository?

“National Data Repository has come forth as an integrated data repository of E&P data of the Indian sedimentary basins, in line with the Digital India initiative of our Hon’ble Prime Minister.”

– Indian Petroleum Minister

With the launch of National Data Repository in June 2018, India joined the league of nations like UK and Norway with a National Data Repository for the upstream segment.

This is a government-sponsored project with top-notch facilities and infrastructure to create a strong E&P data bank for hydrocarbon exploration and development. The Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), the agency of the central government, is responsible for creation, establishment and the execution of the National Data Repository.

What is the National Data Repository?

National Data Repository is a combined repository of Exploration and Production (E&P) data of Indian sedimentary basins. With the primary objective to provide reliable exploration and production data for India, the National Data Repository offers provisions for seamless access and online data management.

Housed with the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons in Noida, the National Data Repository offers an exclusive platform to all the E&P operators, E&P service companies, E&P investors and academia to search through a wide array of Indian sedimentary basins’ E&P datasets.

The Indian government has come up with an ambitious project, that incorporates the establishment of National Knowledge Hub, alternatively known as National Knowledge Centre in the next few years. The National Data Repository is a step in the direction of fulfillment of this grand project of the Indian Union Government.

The need for National Data Repository

Over a period of six decades, enormous size of data has been gathered by E&Ps and agencies. And this mammoth volume of data has been lying scattered at various work centers of the DGH, ONGC, OIL India, or held by the operating firms.

Amidst this backdrop, there was a need to establish at the central level a system, that could gather, preserve, and upkeep, large amount of data. Following which the data can be regulated and organized for future application in exploration and development apart from use by R&D and other educational institutions.

With this objective, the establishment of the National Data Repository was commenced.

Objectives of the National Data Repository

The National Data Repository has been set up to act as a reliable source of exploration and production data for India. This repository will also have provisions for seamless access and online data management.

The specific objectives are:

• Validation, storage, maintenance and reproduction of high quality and reliable geoscientific data
• Facilitate efficient data reporting, data exchange, and data trading among existing stakeholders which incorporates all geoscientific agencies
• Improving the Directorate General of Hydrocarbon’s capability to monitor and control the E&P activities and reporting
• Encouraging new E&P activities with the provision of high quality and reliable data
• Strengthening the framework of overall geoscientific activities across India
• Supporting an open acreage system for an enhanced global E&P business environment in India
• Provision of quality E&P data for processing, interpretation, and visualization centers at DGH

Primarily, the national E&P data asset will be safeguarded by the National Data Repository and this would further help and promote exploration and production activities in India. Additionally, this national data system will streamline all the data associated with exploration and production such as procedures, policies, workflows pertaining to data submission, data cataloging and data viewing, data retrieval and data trading for all stakeholders, industries, government agencies, academia, and research communities.

In a safe and reusable manner, the National Data Repository will store and maintain hydrocarbon exploration and production data in perpetuity. The generally accepted National Data Repository standards will be followed to preserve the data and it will be made available to the entitled users.

Quality Data for enhanced E&P prospects

By significantly improving the quality of data, the National Data Repository will enhance the prospects of petroleum exploration in India. It will facilitate the bidding rounds by making quality data available to the stakeholders.

With this major step, India has joined the league of nations that have a National Data Repository and can effectively compete in the hydrocarbon exploration and production sector.

(Learn about the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons and the PNGRB.)

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