Practice Notices

The key reasons for this decision are:

• The fundamental principles of Code of Ethics and professionalism are covered under two current guidelines: Ethical Practice and Professional Practice.
• The requirements for authenticating professional work products is covered under the practice standard Authenticating Professional Work Products.
• This practice standard does not provide additional technical guidance beyond what is provided in the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation (COGE) Handbook.  

Additional guidance on the specific subject of evaluation of oil and gas reserves for public disclosure is not necessary nor aligns with APEGA’s strategic direction on the development and maintenance of professional practice standards.

Licensed professionals must refer to the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation (COGE) Handbook, published by the Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers (SPEE), for technical evaluations.  When working for a publicly listed or a not-listed company, registrants are obligated to follow all applicable acts, regulations, standards, and codes.

Use the Following Publications Instead:

• Ethical Practice Guideline (PDF) 
• Professional Practice Guideline (PDF)
• Authenticating Professional Work Products Standard (PDF)
• SPEE's Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook (COGEH)

A total of four comments were received and considered by the Practice Standards Subcommittee and the Practice Review Board, resulting in the recommendation to withdraw the practice standard. In March 2021, Council approved the recommendation and the practice standard Quality Inspection of Geophysical Data was withdrawn.

The key reasons for this decision are:

• The fundamental principles of Code of Ethics and professionalism are covered under two current guidelines: Ethical Practice and Professional Practice.
• The requirements for authenticating professional work products is covered under the practice standard Authenticating Professional Work Products.

These publications broadly apply to both engineering and geoscience professions, therefore, additional guidance on the specific subject of quality inspection of geophysical data is not necessary nor aligns with APEGA’s strategic direction on the development and maintenance of professional practice standards.

What should or should not be considered by licensed professionals while conducting a quality inspection of geophysical data?

The quality inspection (QI) of geophysical data may include:

• a review of parameters on section side labels, SEGY trace headers, or on broker information sheets
• quality parameters such as signal-to-noise, frequency, continuity
• brief comparisons of other lines included in the QI with different recording parameters
• positions of the ends and bends on the seismic lines
• measuring and locating gaps or areas of poor quality in the data
  

The following should not be part of a QI, and engaging in any of these activities may lead to an investigation of unprofessional conduct:

• intentional interpretation or opinions provided for business purposes before a license is confirmed.
• QI notes made by the prospective licensee containing specific interpretation or interpretive opinions
• quantitative measurements such as specific shot point and station coordinates or locations, except ends and bends as noted above.
• measuring reflection time, using dividers, and comparing QI data to a synthetic seismogram or an interpreted seismic section
• making copies of any portion of the data
• requests for any data to be removed from the direct physical control of the licensor or broker

Use the Following Publications Instead:

• Ethical Practice Guideline (PDF) 
• Professional Practice Guideline (PDF)
• Authenticating Professional Work Products Standard (PDF)