Inventor: Ole Baltazar Andersen
Invention: A new gravity map
Inventor’s Country: Denmark

According to US Geological Survey (USGS), the arctic region has 90 billion barrels of untapped oil. That is about 13% of the world’s undiscovered oil.

Exploring for oil though is quite often a tough task. This is because the gravity maps which are used by them may not always be accurate. Now, what is a gravity map? Oil explorers use different methods and tools to find out areas where oil is available. One of the techniques is to use data collected by remote sensing for mapping of the underground. This type of data is known as a gravity map.

Now, the Danish researcher Ole Baltazar Andersen at the Technical University of Denmark Space (that is in Denmark, near Coppenhagen) has found a new method to draw the gravity map more accurately. It discloses the spots in which new oil deposits are more likely to be found, in a more accurate and focused way. According to Anderson, it shows fields within a radius of 10-25 km.

Because of this accuracy, the explorers looking for oil will no longer have to undertake expensive plane/ship expeditions. And they can identify more areas where oil is more likely to be found.

Li Xiong, who works at Dutch Fugro, vouches for his invention. Dutch Fugro is one of the world’s largest oil exploration companies. Xinog says that Anderson’s gravity map is one of the most accurate gravity maps out there. And he believes that the map will be very useful in the coastal areas where a significant amount of oil is available.