A new way of providing subsurface intelligence is the use of videos compiled by geoscientists. Sharing content in this way can be rewarding but daunting at the same time. That is what Mike Cooper from TROVE 1st Subsurface experienced when he shared his video on Invictus Energy’s drilling in Zimbabwe.
In the videos, he questions some of the bold statements made by the company in terms of the prospectivity of the area and the results of the wells they drilled. Even though he clearly states that it is commentary from a technical point of view and he has no financial interests, the reactions from some people are simply rude.
“Subsurface experts who contact me don’t have any significant issues with my assessments.”
“Apart from positive feedback on the commentary provided, I experienced “trolling” for the first time, maybe because some are invested in the company and feel I challenge the narrative too much”, says Mike. “Subsurface experts who contact me don’t have any significant issues with my assessments”, he adds.
This is part two of a series of online articles related to the cover story we published in Issue 1 of the magazine. We held interviews with people working in the subsurface intelligence sector, ranging from established businesses to start-ups and individuals, and asked how they use the increasing amounts of subsurface data currently available.
At the right time
Our videos certainly results in visibility, but is it the visibility that is needed to generate an income? Mike’s best-viewed video, with more than 26,000 views, is the one on TotalEnergies’ Venus discovery in Namibia. In a way, it is no surprise; the video was released at the right time in order to benefit from the wave of publicity the well received. It is likely that the next spectacular discovery will generate just as many views. “Typically for YouTube channels, other videos do not get as many views, but we’ve still got over 145 views each day so far this year”, says Mike.
“We are still at an early stage,” Mike continues. “Producing these videos is hard work, both in the preparation as well as the execution. For us, the videos form a good way to raise awareness our TROVE databases. But it is still too early to conclude if this is the way forward even though we generally do get a lot of positive feedback. Similar to others in the service sector, we still experience a great level of budget scrutiny from potential buyers.”