Geographical Information Systems (GIS) provide a natural fit for the petroleum industry. Almost all petroleum operations can be geospatially defined then linked to tabular data sets, GPS, aerial photographs, remote sensing, and other real-time and historical information flows. In addition, the implementation of GIS can reduce costs associated with redundancy, standardization, data management, and information automation. Beginning with the well prospect and ending at the gas pump, petroleum professionals involved in upstream, midstream, and downstream activities can use GIS for site selection, cross-functional and organizational communications, and economic and market analysis. This introduction outlines the fundamentals of GIS and how it can be used in the petroleum industry. Using nontechnical language, Gaddy explores how to plan, implement, and operate a GIS program.

