Virtual and digital outcrops in the petroleum industry: A systematic review

Abstract The study of outcrop analogues of petroleum reservoirs is well established in the petroleum industry through the use of digital outcrop models (DOMs). These models, which are also known as virtual outcrop models (VOMs) or 3D outcrops, are of great importance for understanding the behavior of actual reservoirs. This topic has been reviewed by many authors, and the studies vary in detail according to the technologies involved. The present study applies systematic review methodology traversing a number of articles to find the trends in studies utilizing DOMs. The articles included in this review indicate that the technologies used to generate DOMs are still predominantly classified as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and digital photogrammetry, with the first being present in most of the works, and the latter attracting attention owing to the popularity of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). These studies have attracted a significant amount of attention to outcrop analysis, and the information acquired can be used to better fit reservoir simulations. Furthermore, a trend is identified with a focus on outcrop geometry and structural data. This work also discusses some of the available opportunities related to the generation of DOMs as well as emerging technologies that can improve the quality of the outcrop models in order to provide better reservoir simulations. Finally, this work discusses the findings and highlights of the articles answering the initially raised research questions.