<abstract>A cells polygon feature class was created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to illustrate the degree of exploration, type of production, and distribution of production in the United States. Each cell represents a quarter-mile square of the land surface, and the cells are coded to represent whether the wells included within the cell are predominantly oil-producing, gas-producing, both oil and gas-producing, or the type of production of the wells located within the cell is unknown or dry. The well information was initially retrieved from IHS Inc.'s PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data on CD-ROM, which is a proprietary, commercial database containing information for most oil and gas wells in the U.S. Cells were developed as a graphic solution to overcome the problem of displaying proprietary well data. No proprietary data are displayed or included in the cell maps. The data are current through 10/1/2005.</abstract>
<purpose>This Geographic Information System (GIS) dataset was created to display present and past oil and gas production in the United States, as well as the location and intensity of exploratory drilling outside producing areas. This map compilation is an updated version of the USGS map that was published by Mast and others (1998). This product differs from other oil and gas maps of the United States in the following ways: (1) the oil and gas data sources are current as of 2004 through 2006, (2) base cartographic reference data are included, using the USGS National Map and a World Shaded Relief map service from the ESRI geography network, (3) an internet map service is available online, (4) Alaska oil and gas data are included.
To construct this map, digital data were used from more than 3 million wells in IHS Inc.'s PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data on CD-ROM, current through 10/1/2005. In some areas, the PI/Dwights data tend not to be complete, particularly for pre-1920 production. IHS data was supplemented with state wells databases for Indiana, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Illinois, and Ohio, (current as of 2004 to 2006).</purpose>
<current>The data are current through 10/1/2005</current>
</timeperd>
<status>
<progress>Complete</progress>
<update>As needed</update>
</status>
<spdom>
<bounding>
<westbc>
-178.309436</westbc>
<eastbc>
-67.202642</eastbc>
<northbc>
71.861587</northbc>
<southbc>
19.440480</southbc>
</bounding>
</spdom>
<keywords>
<theme>
<themekt>Gateway to the Earth draft 9 28-Jun-2002</themekt>
<themekey>Natural gas resources</themekey>
<themekey>Oil shale resources</themekey>
<themekey>Oil sand resources</themekey>
<themekey>Coalbed methane resources</themekey>
<themekey>Economic geology</themekey>
</theme>
<theme>
<themekt>ArcIMS Metadata Server Theme Codes</themekt>
<themekey>geoscientificInformation</themekey>
<themekey>economy</themekey>
<themekey>environment</themekey>
</theme>
<theme>
<themekt>USGS Energy Program Themes Thesaurus</themekt>
<themekey>Impacts of Energy Production</themekey>
<themekey>Coalbed Methane</themekey>
<themekey>Sedimentary Basin</themekey>
<themekey>Oil and Natural Gas</themekey>
<themekey>Energy Resources</themekey>
<themekey>Earth Science</themekey>
<themekey>Natural Resources</themekey>
<themekey>U.S. Geological Survey</themekey>
<themekey>USGS</themekey>
<themekey>Geology</themekey>
<themekey>Natural Gas</themekey>
<themekey>Petroleum</themekey>
<themekey>Oil</themekey>
<themekey>Gas</themekey>
<themekey>Oil and Gas Exploration</themekey>
<themekey>Oil and Gas Production</themekey>
</theme>
<theme>
<themekt>None</themekt>
<themekey>OIL WELL</themekey>
<themekey>GAS WELL</themekey>
<themekey>PETROLEUM</themekey>
<themekey>LOCATION</themekey>
</theme>
<place>
<placekt>None</placekt>
<placekey>U.S.</placekey>
<placekey>United States</placekey>
<placekey>North America</placekey>
</place>
<place>
<placekt>Board of Geographic Names</placekt>
<placekey>USA</placekey>
<placekey>United States of America</placekey>
</place>
</keywords>
<accconst>None</accconst>
<useconst>This database may not be distributed in whole or in part without acknowledgement of IHS Energy, Inc., and the U.S. Geological Survey.</useconst>
<ptcontac>
<cntinfo>
<cntorgp>
<cntorg>U.S. Geological Survey, Central Energy Resources Team</cntorg>
<cntper>Laura R.H. Biewick</cntper>
</cntorgp>
<cntpos>Geologist / GIS Coordinator</cntpos>
<cntaddr>
<addrtype>mailing and physical address</addrtype>
<address>U.S. Geological Survey, Box 25046, MS 939, Denver Federal Center</address>
<browsed>Thumbnail view of oil and gas cells in the contiguous United States</browsed>
<browset>JPEG</browset>
</browse>
<native>ESRI ArcInfo</native>
<datacred>To aggregate well data into quarter-mile cells, oil and gas well data were run through an Arc Macro Language (AML) program written by L.R.H. Biewick, S. Weiler, and C.C. Skinner.</datacred></idinfo>
<dataqual>
<attracc>
<attraccr>The cell locations and cell attributes were visually compared to the hard-copy map: Mast, R.F., Root, D.H., Williams, L.P., Beeman, W.R., and Barnett, D.L., 1998, Areas of historical oil and gas exploration and production in the conterminous United States: U.S. Geological Survey Oil and Gas Investigations Map I-2582, 1 sheet; http://energy.cr.usgs.gov/oilgas/noga/oilgasmap.htm and http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1995/ofr-95-0075-c/</attraccr>
</attracc>
<logic>The accuracy of the cells, as created by the Arc Macro Language (AML) program of L.R.H. Biewick, S. Weiler and C.C. Skinner, depends upon the accuracy of IHS Inc.'s PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data on CD-ROM. For the USGS map compilation showing Areas of Historical Oil and Gas Exploration and Production in the United States, the assumption was made that the data from the IHS Energy, Inc., PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data were of sufficient accuracy for such a national-scale analysis.</logic>
<complete>The cells were defined using the well data in the IHS Energy, Inc., PI/Dwights PLUS Well database. The IHS, Inc. database contains over three million wells for the U.S., which, although not a complete tabulation of all U.S. wells, is the most complet
