Designing a Well Information Query Tool with 3D Visualization Using GIS for Leyte Geothermal Production Field, Central Philippines

Rhoel Enrico R. Olivar

Philippine National Oil Company Energy Development Corporation (PNOC-EDC)
Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, Philippines

Abstract

An application program incorporating Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to database management systems (DBMS) was created for the Leyte Geothermal Production Field (LGPF) in Central Philippines. The program links spatial data with tabular well information, allowing the user to perform queries to the database through map navigation and features selection, aside from the conventional text-entry method. The information contained in the database includes basic well data, stratigraphy, permeable zones, and intersected fault structures.

The visualization capability of GIS was likewise demonstrated through the creation of a three-dimensional model of the geothermal field. The model included a digital terrain model (DTM) of LGPF and 3-D rendering of the well tracks and the surface of Bao Volcanic Formation (BVF). Two viewer applications were used to display the3-D model; one featured a regional coverage of the whole Leyte Island, while the other included only the geothermal field, itself. 3D modeling made use of the same information contained in the database tables, highlighting GIS’ capability to translate abstract data into visual representation of real-world phenomena.

The application program was developed in Visual Basic environment using the MapObjects set of libraries from ESRI at the International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) in the Netherlands.