Abstract

The Wyoming Oil and Gas Resource Assessment (WOGRA) is an interagency project designed to provide comprehensive, consistent information on oil and gas resources throughout Wyoming. Assessment results include a statewide qualitative designation of oil and gas habitat, more detailed classification of oil and gas potential for three national forests, and a framework in which assessment information can be kept current. Based on resource occurrence, rather than ownership boundaries, the assessment provides a comprehensive, science-based regional framework from which multiple jurisdictions can base decisions on land use, resource development, environmental concerns, and policies. Assessment elements and results are available on an interactive website hosted by the University of Wyoming at http://www.wims.uwyo.edu.

WOGRA is a collaborative effort by Wyoming State Geological Survey, Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and Department of Energy (DOE). USGS and DOE, with involvement and support of the other agencies, are performing technical aspects of the assessment. Existing information used in the assessment includes USGS oil and gas play boundaries and supporting information from the 1995 National Assessment of United States Oil and Gas Resources, and oil and gas resource occurrence potential for national forests in Wyoming. This, and other information, can be selected and displayed as separate data elements on the interactive WOGRA website.

The Wyoming Internet Map Server Project at the University of Wyoming serves as a data warehouse for the assessment and assists in developing and maintaining the website. The website has been designed so that information can be kept current and shared among participating agencies and the public. Final digital displays of assessment results can be layered with other resource, ownership, and management information accessible through the University of Wyoming.

Work on assessment information and the website is ongoing. Additional maps and documentation will be posted on the website as they are developed and finalized. The WOGRA team has made an effort to present science-based information in a "user friendly" fashion so that it is understandable and easily used by those with non-technical backgrounds. Information and data will be presented so that it can be used for planning, environmental analyses, project analyses, economic analyses, and various other studies and information needs. Use of an interactive website to present results of the project allows for feedback from users, and permits the WOGRA workgroup to respond quickly to identified needs for revisions and updates of the information presented.