Map-Based Well Management: Why Location Matters in Production Operations
Map-Based Well Management: Why Location Matters in Production Operations
"Check the wells in the north section."
"That field by Highway 176 is having issues."
"Wells on the east side are producing better than the west side."
Operators think in terms of location. But open most production software and you'll see... a list.
Well 001, Well 002, Well 003. No spatial context. No way to see patterns. No connection to how you actually think about your operations.
This is why we built WellPulse with a map-first interface. Here's why location matters and how map-based well management changes operations.
How Operators Actually Think About Their Wells
Spatial Mental Models
When making decisions, operators think:
- "My wells in Section 14 are all producing below expectation"
- "The three wells near the SWD are showing higher water cut"
- "Wells drilled east-to-west perform better than north-to-south"
- "Offset wells to the north had interference when we completed 15H"
- "Plan tomorrow's route through the eastern fields first"
Notice the pattern? Every thought has a location component.
Why Lists Fail
Traditional Software:
Well Name Status Production
ABC-001 Producing 45 bbl
ABC-002 Producing 52 bbl
ABC-003 Down 0 bbl
ABC-004 Producing 38 bbl
ABC-005 Producing 61 bbl
...
Problems:
- No spatial context
- Can't see geographic patterns
- Must remember where each well is
- Difficult to identify area-wide issues
- No visual pattern recognition
- Fighting against natural thinking
Example Scenario: You notice ABC-003 is down. Is this:
- Isolated equipment failure?
- Part of area-wide issue?
- Related to offset well activity?
- Infrastructure problem (power line down)?
In a list: No way to know without cross-referencing location, then manually checking nearby wells.
On a map: Instantly see spatial context, nearby wells, infrastructure, and patterns.
What Map-Based Well Management Looks Like
The WellPulse Map Interface
Center of Your Screen: Interactive map showing all wells with real-time data.
Color Coding:
- Green: Producing normally
- Yellow: Producing but below target
- Red: Down or critical issue
- Blue: Shut-in (planned)
- Gray: Inactive/abandoned
Heat Maps:
- Production intensity (darker = higher production)
- Water cut percentage
- Gas-oil ratio
- Well age
- Operating cost per barrel
- Any metric you want
Layers:
- Your wells
- Competitor wells (if you have data)
- Infrastructure (pipelines, SWD wells, facilities)
- Lease boundaries
- Surface ownership
- Seismic areas
- Environmental restrictions
Interactions:
- Click well → See full details
- Draw area on map → Report for that region
- Filter by any attribute → Map updates
- Time slider → Watch production over time
- Compare periods → Side-by-side maps
Example: Morning Dashboard
Open WellPulse:
- Map loads showing all 100 wells
- Three red wells immediately visible (down)
- Cluster of yellow wells in northeast section (below target)
- Rest of field green (normal)
30 seconds of map review tells you:
- Three wells down: Two isolated, one near power line (infrastructure issue?)
- Northeast section problem: 7 wells underperforming in same area
- Rest of field: Operating normally
Actions:
- Dispatch electrician to check power line
- Send pumper to investigate northeast section issue
- Individual well checks on the two isolated failures
In List-Based Software:
- Scroll through 100 rows
- Notice three wells down (but where are they?)
- Notice several underperforming (are they related?)
- Spend 20 minutes cross-referencing locations
- Maybe notice the pattern, maybe not
Time Difference: 30 seconds vs. 20 minutes
Practical Use Cases
Use Case 1: Identifying Production Patterns
Scenario: Notice overall production is down 5% month-over-month. Where's the problem?
List Approach:
- Export data to Excel
- Sort by production change
- Manually note well locations
- Try to visualize spatial patterns
- 2-3 hours of analysis
Map Approach:
- Toggle to "Production Change" heat map
- Instantly see dark area in west field
- 15 wells in one section down 10-15%
- Rest of field stable or up
- 2 minutes to identify
Root Cause: All affected wells share same gas gathering line. Pipeline pressure issue.
Without Map: Would have taken days to identify pattern, assuming you found it at all.
Use Case 2: Workover Planning
Scenario: $500K workover budget. Which wells should we prioritize?
List Approach:
- Economic analysis per well (days of work)
- Rank by ROI
- But no spatial consideration
- Risk doing multiple workovers in same area (interference)
Map Approach:
- Heat map showing workover ROI
- Select top candidates
- Visualize on map
- Identify spatial conflicts
- Optimize both economics and spacing
- Better capital allocation
Result: Avoid doing 3 workovers in same section at once. Spread activity. Reduce interference risk.
Use Case 3: Field Tour Planning
Scenario: Operations manager needs to visit 12 wells this week.
List Approach:
- Print list of well names
- Pull up Google Maps separately
- Manually plan route
- Miss obvious optimizations
Map Approach:
- Filter to wells needing visits
- Plan route directly on map
- Optimize for distance
- Add new stops as needed
- Export to Google Maps for navigation
Result: Save 2-3 hours of drive time per week = 100-150 hours annually.
Use Case 4: Peer Well Analysis
Scenario: Understand why some wells outperform others.
Map Approach:
- Color wells by production per foot
- See spatial patterns immediately
- Group wells by location
- Analyze by completion type, landing zone, drill direction
- Correlate with offset well activity
Insights:
- Wells in Section 12 outperform Section 18 (formation difference?)
- East-west laterals produce 15% better than north-south
- Wells near offset operators' activity show decline
Application:
- Target future drilling in better areas
- Optimize completion designs
- Adjust drilling direction
Use Case 5: Infrastructure Planning
Scenario: Need to add SWD capacity. Where should new disposal well go?
Map Approach:
- Heat map showing water production
- Overlay existing SWD locations
- Identify highest-water areas far from disposal
- Calculate transportation cost by distance
- Optimize new SWD location
Result: $500K disposal well in optimal location saves $50K-$100K annually in water hauling.
Why No Other Software Does This Well
The List-Based Legacy
Historical Reason: Early oil & gas software was built on mainframes and early PCs. Lists were easy to display. Maps required expensive hardware and software.
That Was 30 Years Ago: Today, map technology is ubiquitous (Google Maps, Waze, etc.). Hardware is powerful. Cloud makes it accessible.
But Inertia: Enterprise platforms are list-based because they've always been. Redesigning would be expensive. Existing users are used to it.
Technical Challenges (That We Solved)
Challenge 1: Performance Displaying 1,000+ wells with real-time data on a map is computationally intensive.
Our Solution:
- Server-side rendering
- Intelligent clustering
- Lazy loading
- Optimized data queries
- Fast map libraries
Result: Smooth performance even with 500+ wells
Challenge 2: Data Integration Maps need well locations (lat/long). Many operators don't have this in their systems.
Our Solution:
- API into county records
- Import from previous software
- GPS via mobile app
- Manual entry (if needed)
- Address geocoding
Challenge 3: User Expectations Map interfaces must feel like Google Maps (smooth, fast, intuitive).
Our Solution:
- Used Mapbox (industry standard)
- Familiar controls (zoom, pan, etc.)
- Mobile-responsive
- Fast loading
- Offline mode for field use
Map Features That Make a Difference
Feature 1: Production Heat Maps
What It Shows: Color intensity shows production levels. Darker = higher production.
Use:
- Identify high/low production areas
- Spot declining regions
- Prioritize optimization efforts
- Support acquisition/divestiture decisions
Customizable:
- Oil production
- Gas production
- Oil equivalent (BOE)
- Production per lateral foot
- Revenue
Feature 2: Custom Layers
Examples:
- Well status
- Operator (in multi-operator areas)
- Completion type (plug-and-perf, sliding sleeve)
- Formation/landing zone
- Drill direction
- Age (vintage)
Use:
- Compare performance by attribute
- Identify best practices
- Optimize future wells
Feature 3: Time Slider
What It Does: Slide through time to see how field evolved.
Use:
- Watch production decline over time
- See impact of workovers
- Understand offset well interference
- Track field development
Example: Slider from 2020 to 2025. Watch northeast section decline while southwest grows (drilling schedule).
Feature 4: Area Selection
What It Does: Draw rectangle or polygon on map. Get report for that area.
Use:
- Field-level reporting
- Section analysis
- Custom area groupings
- Ad-hoc analysis
Example: "Give me production for all wells within 2 miles of the new disposal well."
Feature 5: Filter + Map
What It Does: Apply any filter (production range, status, operator, etc.). Map updates to show matching wells.
Use:
- Focus on specific wells
- Identify patterns
- Support decision-making
Example: Filter: "Wells producing <10 bbl/day with high water cut" Map shows 8 wells, all in same section. Candidate for shut-in.
User Testimonials (Beta Program)
Operations Manager, 120-well operator: "The map interface changed how I think about my operations. I can see patterns I never saw in spreadsheets. It's like going from black-and-white to color."
Owner, 65-well operator: "I show the map to landowners and investors. It tells the story better than any report. They get it immediately."
Production Accountant, 85-well operator: "I use the map every morning. Takes 30 seconds to see if anything's wrong. Before, I'd spend 20 minutes reviewing lists."
Pumper, 150-well operation: "The map on my phone shows me the best route. I save 30-45 minutes every day on drive time."
Getting Started with Map-Based Well Management
If You're Not Using WellPulse
DIY Approach:
- Export well locations and data
- Import into Google My Maps or similar
- Manually update daily/weekly
- Limited functionality but better than nothing
Limitation: Manual updating is tedious. No automation. No real-time data.
If You Join WellPulse
Setup Process:
- Import well locations (we help with this)
- Connect data sources (SCADA, mobile app, etc.)
- Configure map layers
- Train your team
- Go live
Timeline: 4-6 weeks Cost: $20K-$40K setup + $10-30/well/month
The Future of Map-Based Operations
Coming Features
Predictive Heat Maps: ML predicts which areas will have issues. Map shows predictions.
Augmented Reality (AR): Point phone at field. See well data overlaid on camera view.
3D Subsurface: Map shows surface. Click to see 3D subsurface view (formation, laterals, completion).
Collaborative: Multiple users on same map. See where field staff are in real-time. Dispatch dynamically.
Regulatory Integration: Overlay seismic response areas, environmental restrictions, spacing rules.
Industry Trend
Prediction: In 5 years, list-based production software will seem as outdated as paper logs do today. Maps will be standard.
Why:
- Users demand better interfaces
- Technology makes it possible
- Competitive pressure forces innovation
- Spatial thinking is natural
WellPulse is ahead of this trend.
Take Action
Schedule WellPulse Demo:
See the map interface in action. We'll show:
- How map-based visualization works
- Your wells on the map (if you provide locations)
- Practical use cases for your operation
- Pricing and implementation plan
30-minute demo, no obligation.
About WellPulse
WellPulse is the first production management platform built map-first for independent oil & gas operators. Developed by Strataga, based in Midland, TX.