OIL DETECTION WITH HYPERSPECTRAL SCANNER IN ALGERIA AND TUNISIA

In cooperation with ENI, the most important oil company in Italy, surveys were conducted in the deserts of Algeria in year 2000 and in El Borma, Tunisia in 2003. Both projects covered areas of approximately 3 000 sq.km and were flown at relative altitudes of about 2 500 metres corresponding to a ground pixel size of about five metres. The data collected were interpreted by ENI surveyors.

The projects were executed using Mivis hyperspectral scanners. One of the applications for these scanners is the possibility to apply information to the oil exploration business. The scientific base of this approach is a well known phenomenon called microseepage. Microseepage occurs where oil reservoirs present deep under the ground causes modifications in the behaviour of the terrain. These minor modifications can, in some cases, be detected through MIVIS information as they mainly occur in the thermal and infrared parts of the spectrum. Using the Mivis scanner one aims to perform first evaluations of unexplored areas at a low cost compared to traditional exploitation methodologies, in order to limit the further exploitation to the best responding areas only.