The gOcad consortium
What is the Gocad consortium?
The primary goal of the Gocad Consortium is to define new approaches to build and update 3D subsurface models accounting for all types of available data. This new technology is made available not only through research papers but also through computer codes, generally implemented as plugins of Gocad, a commercial application programming interface and software commercialized by Paradigm Geophysical and initially developped in our group.
These new approaches may be applied directly in the Gocad research Group, through collaborative projects and by academic or industrial Gocad Consortium members. More details about research activities and publications are available on the research page.
The Gocad consortium is widely opened both to the industry and universities around the world who are interested in subsurface modeling and integration of knowledge and data across all earth science disciplines, and want to use and/or contribute to the developement of this new technology.
Today, the gOcad consortium consists of 18 companies and 118 universities.
The administration of this consortium is currently ensured by the "Association Scientifique pour la Geologie et ses Applications" (ASGA).
Steering of the gOcad Consortium
The gOcad Steering Committee of the consortium is in charge of controlling the budget and the research directions. Each industrial sponsor is represented in this Steering committee. Since 1994, the Steering Committee has been chaired by a President and a Vice-President elected by the members. Each year, the Vice-President is upgraded as President and a new Vice-President is elected. The past President and Vice-President are the following :
- Steve Garrett (Chevron)
- Olivier Dubrule (Elf)
- Richard Wetterauer (Exxon)
- Tim White (Landmark)
- Rupert Cole (Shell)
- Jackie Singleton (Phillips Petroleum)
- Sebastien Bombarde (ChevronTexaco)
- Christophe Basire (Statoil)
- Phil Ware (Kerr McGee)
- Isabelle Moretti (IFP)
- Alan Curtis (BHP Billiton)
- Luciano Pereira Dos Reis (Petrobras)
- Luciano Pereira Dos Reis (Petrobras)
The current President and Vice-President are the following :
- Marek Czernuszenko (ExxonMobil)
- Francis Morandini (Total)
The gOcad Steering Committee meets (at least) once a year in conjunction with the gOcad technical meeting held each june in Nancy.
Gocad Consortium Short Story
The Gocad Consortium is the craddle of the Gocad Geomodeling application and API. It was created in 1989 by Jean-Laurent Mallet to financially support and control the research activities performed in the Gocad project. This original funding system allowed Prof Mallet to overcome some shortcomings of the classical institutional funding structures. It also allowed the Gocad Research Group to focus not only on academic problems but also on problems encountered in the industry through direct interaction with sponsors.After a few years, the fruitfult collaboration between Consortium Members and the Gocad Research group gave birth to the Gocad software. To ensure maintenance, support and consulting services, the Gocad software became the leading commercial product of the EarthDecision company, created in 1998, then acquired by Paradigm Geophysical in 2006. Meanwhile, the Gocad Research Group has been continuing exploring and pushing the limits of geomodeling technology, through original R&D.
Professor Jean-Laurent Mallet led the Consortium from its creation in 1989 until 2006. Since 2007, the research consortium is directed by Guillaume Caumon