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Partner technology

Know where to look before you drill.

Satellite Remote Sensing screens large areas from orbit and points to where oil, gas, minerals or groundwater are most likely to sit, and at what depth, before anyone goes on the ground.

Discuss your areaHow it works
depth + thickness
Illustration only. Not survey data.

What it is

A first look at what lies underground, from orbit.

Exploration is slow, costly and high-risk. Each conventional method sees part of the picture, and a dry hole spends the budget and finds nothing.

MicMak states that Satellite Remote Sensing detects anomalies linked to the target substance below the surface, using satellite imagery of your area. It narrows a large area down to the zones worth drilling or surveying further, with depth and thickness estimated from multi-angle imagery, before any field activity.

Applications: oil and gas · solid minerals · groundwater. For groundwater, it narrows down where water is most likely to be found.

What it delivers

Fewer dry holes. Faster decisions.

Find targets faster

Screen a whole licence area in one study. MicMak reports a typical lead time of 3–6 months, end to end.

De-risk drilling

MicMak states that deliverables include recommended well locations, the depth and thickness of each target layer and the mapped tectonic faults around it.

Lower cost and footprint

MicMak states that a study needs no field crews on site and carries no environmental or HSE risk.

An early economic view

MicMak states that each study includes a conservative preliminary resource appraisal, built for early economic modelling.

How it works, in plain terms

From coordinates to a report.

The science is best covered on a call. At a plain level, the study runs in five steps.

  1. 1

    Inputs

    You share the area coordinates, the target and, if available, samples from the area or nearby.

  2. 2

    Signature

    A lab records the signature of the target from the samples.

  3. 3

    Matching and mapping

    Samples from the area are analysed and matched against satellite imagery; anomalies are mapped with depth estimated from multi-angle imagery.

  4. 4

    Depth

    MicMak states that the depth and thickness of each anomaly are estimated from multi-angle satellite imagery.

  5. 5

    Report

    Maps, depths, faults, recommended well locations and a resource appraisal.

MicMak reports 3–6 months end to endMicMak states: no field crews on siteWorks best away from heavy surface disturbance

Deliverables

What you receive.

Results are delivered before any physical field activity. The resource appraisal is a conservative minimum.

Accuracy caveat: MicMak states that all deliverables are provided at 60–70% data accuracy.

  • Maps of target-type anomalies across your area
  • Presence of the target minerals or fluids in each anomaly
  • Depth and thickness of each target layer
  • Mapped tectonic faults
  • Recommended well or drill locations
  • A conservative preliminary resource appraisal

Key figures

±50 manomaly-mapping deviation, as stated by MicMak
2–5%depth discrepancy, as stated by MicMak
6,200 mproven depth for hydrocarbons, as reported by MicMak
3–6 motypical lead time, as reported by MicMak

MicMak states an anomaly-mapping deviation of ±50 m and a depth discrepancy of 2–5%, and reports proven depths of 6,200 m for hydrocarbons, 4,000 m for water and 1,000 m for solid minerals. All deliverables are provided at 60–70% data accuracy.

Where it fits

The first filter, not the only one.

No single method is enough on its own. Satellite Remote Sensing comes first, to focus the methods that follow on the best ground.

1 · Satellite Remote SensingScreen the whole area; rank zones; estimate depth.
2 · Detailed surveysSeismic or ground and airborne geophysics, focused on the ranked zones. For solid minerals, drone magnetic aerotomography then zooms in on the best zones with a much finer grid.
3 · Ground validationMapping, sampling and checks against existing well data.
4 · DrillingFewer, better-placed wells.

Limits we flag on the first call: MicMak notes that, for hydrocarbon studies, industrial areas with extensive construction and dense electrical infrastructure, such as power lines, can interfere with the analysis.

Track record

Checked against the drill bit.

Anonymised examples from partner projects. No client names or locations are shown.

HYDROCARBONS · OFFSHORE

MicMak reports: a large offshore area surveyed in six months without oil samples or well data. An existing well sat at the centre of the strongest anomaly, and seismic traps later matched the anomalies.

NICKEL

MicMak reports: follow-up drilling confirmed nickel inside the main mapped anomaly and no significant targets elsewhere; the main ore layer thickness was recorded accurately.

Getting started

Start with a trial on ground you know.

For oil and gas, start with a small trial around one well, covering about 1 km², so you can compare the results with what you already know before the full area is processed.

Scope, phases and timeline are agreed after the first call.

Next step

Tell us your target and your area.

We'll tell you on the first call whether Satellite Remote Sensing fits, and if not, what does.

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