GeovisionaryTM software for 3D visualisation and petroleum exploration in southern Tajikistan

In spring 2008, Tethys Petroleum started a programme to explore the 35,000 square kilometre Bokhtar area of Tajikistan, an area the size of Switzerland and equally mountainous. Existing conventional oil company data in the area consisted mainly of elderly Soviet era geological maps, well logs and very sparse dubious seismic, all in paper format. The size and remote nature of the area made it an ideal candidate for remote sensing technology and 3D visualisation, which were used to plan the field geology and seismic acquisition and to complete the first phase of the exploration programme on time. BGS used GeoVisionary™ software in an immersive suite to produce the three-dimensional visualisation. A rear projected screen with stereo viewing glasses allied to the ‘Geometry’ tools were used to digitise new geological linework as shapefiles onto 3D perspective views of the terrain. This functionality was also used to plan the field traverses in order to maximise the time in the field.