Houston – TTI Exploration, a privately held geosciences technology company based in Houston, is beginning operations to support environmental surveillance efforts in response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that followed the explosion of Transocean’s Deepwater Horizon drilling unit operated by BP and supported by Halliburton and Cameron International. TTI has begun deploying its proprietary Natural Resource Mapping (NRM™) technology to establish a pre-spill environmental baseline along the Gulf Coast, and to subsequently capture time-lapse images of the affected areas to track how they are impacted by hydrocarbon incursions in the weeks and months ahead.
TTI’s NRM technology captures extremely high resolution geophysical measurements, including a spectral “fingerprint” of the earth’s surface with measurements of vegetation, soil, and water. In this case, TTI’s technology will be used to measure the impact of the oil spill on the water quality and the habitats along the coastline and ascertain how the spectral fingerprint of the Gulf Coast has been altered by hydrocarbon incursion. The resolution and accuracy of TTI’s NRM technology is superior to any existing satellite or airborne-based technologies that are presently available to government and private companies. TTI intends to acquire data along the coastal areas of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.
Jim Hollis, President and CEO of TTI, commented, “While it is too early to say what the impacts of the Gulf oil spill might be, I think it is fair to assume that all parties are expecting an extended period of clean-up, remediation, and litigation. TTI’s NRM technology is well suited to deliver a single, state-of-the-art dataset that interested parties can license in order to precisely understand the effect of the oil spill on the environment along the Gulf Coast. By interpreting changes in the spectral fingerprint across the region, we will enable the licensing parties to substantiate where and when hydrocarbons moved into any areas of interest and to determine the levels of residual hydrocarbons remaining in the region.”
TTI’s deployment of its aircraft, proprietary technology, and a scientific team is being led by Dr. Alfredo Prelat, TTI’s Chief Scientist and Sr. VP. To learn more about Dr. Prelat visit www.TTIExploration.com.
Dr. Prelat added, “Time is of the essence as it is imperative that all available resources be committed to protect the environment and commercial interests in this vitally important region. Although our unique technology was originally developed for hydrocarbon and mineral exploration, our NRM technology applies equally well to agriculture, remediation, and other forms of environmental surveillance. While we are concerned about the potential impact of the oil spill at Macondo, we are pleased that our surveillance technology may be of use to governmental agencies, resource operators and their service companies, and individuals that are working tirelessly on the clean-up along the Gulf Coast.”
TTI will be acquiring and interpreting the data and will employ a multi-client licensing model that will allow both existing interested parties and newcomers alike to license the interpreted time-lapse datasets. By providing assessments before and after oil intrusion and after remediation efforts, TTI’s data will provide the most accurate assessment of oil movements, the actual impact on the ecosystem, the entities that were impacted, and the effectiveness of post-spill remediation efforts.
