One of the awards characterised as the “Oscars” of the Norwegian information technology industry has been presented to Statoil for its work on the Geo2000 geological simulator.
The group won the category for the best application of IT in this year’s Rosing prizes awarded by the Norwegian Computer Society.
Geo2000 is a new concept for effective learning and expertise enhancement in the geosciences. Developed by Statoil, it utilises a three-dimensional digital model of relevant landscapes.
With the help of this simulator, geologists and geophysicists can take excursions through actual geographical areas to become better acquainted with the landscape and to obtain data.
“We have knowledge worth billions of kroner which isn’t being used optimally,” says Bjørn Sæther, a specialist in visualisation who has been responsible for the Geo2000 project.
“This simulator represents a way of making available information which would otherwise be little used.”
The technology gives such knowledge greater interest and accessibility, as well as promoting multidisciplinary collaboration and creativity.
“We make a copy of the physical reality in our virtual world,” Mr Sæther explains.
“This is so accurate that you recognise where you are. You can add more data to form a correct picture of the landscape.”
The Rosing prizes are presented in 15 different categories, and more than 220 nominations were received for this year’s awards.
Candidates for the application prize are assessed on the overall utility of their product.