The California Department of Conservation's Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) is moving forward with implementing a new statewide tracking and reporting system, known as WellSTAR.
The project, which aims to improve the state’s oversight of oil and gas production, is the division's first step to becoming a fully digital operation, according to a project newsletter distributed to DOGGR employees.
Following the close of the project’s initial analysis phase in early November, staff determined WellSTAR will be released in four phases, the first of which will take place Aug. 31, 2017. Subsequent releases will take place April 30 and Oct. 31, 2018, and April 30, 2019.
Each stage will include various features, such as technical architecture and entity management.
In addition to assisting with daily tasks, the new system will help DOGGR comply with certain federal and state statutes.
Prior to the WellSTAR project, the division had created two staging databases, one to help process quarterly water use reports submitted by all oil and gas well owners, a requirement under Senate Bill 1281, and another to produce annual division reports required by Senate Bill 4.
Data included in these staging systems will eventually be migrated to WellSTAR. The timeline for this initiative is dependent on the project’s release phases.
WellSTAR appears to be related to a $10 million project to develop an Oil and Gas Data Management System approved in the 2015-16 budget. As with WellSTAR, the data management system would be used to assist DOGGR in complying with federal and state statutes, such as SB 1281 and 4.
OnCore Consulting, LLC, a state-certified Small Business Enterprise, was selected to be the System Integrator for the WellSTAR project. The company provides guidance on a variety of topics, such as project management, software development and system implementation.
The division began work on project WellSTAR Jan. 21 with the development of a proof of concept for the new statewide system, followed by a data collection kick-off meeting six days later.
An agency Organizational Change Management (OCM) team has been involved in every step of the project, helping DOGGR prepare for implementation of the new tracking system. In its most recent effort, the OCM is creating a training program that will comprise 10 to 12 employees from both the division’s headquarters and district offices, who will be taught new technical skills. The program will cover a range of topics, beginning with WellSTAR.
