In this journal, Laura Lang is doing a case study on how Chevron decides where to continue drilling for oil and gas in Nigeria. Chevron used GIS technology to survey areas that can be possible drilling sites in the future. Using GIS, Chevron has a better understanding of the land and can use that information for analysis. If an area has too much water it is not sustainable for drilling, as the figure below shows that the blue lines represent rivers and Chevron ultimately decided not to drill for gas or crude there. Another thing Chevron takes into consideration is the population of people in those areas and how drilling will contribute to their environment. It is important not to contaminate their environment and because of this, Chevron can decide exactly where is best for the drilling to take place.
Lang, L. (1998). Managing natural resources with GIS. Environmental Systems Research Institute.
I wonder if this is used as Chevron's political tool to project a friendly and safe company, all while greenwashing their company with "cleaner burning natural gas."
ReplyDeleteThis is probably only one of many complex GIS mappings that Chevron has to use to make decisions. If they decide to go into a populated area it can cost the company a lot of money so I am sure that they make the most of the GIS data to chose the best places to drill.
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