The ANP Board approved today (March 11) the availability, free of charge, of public technical data of the Brazilian terrestrial sedimentary basins, which, until then, had been paid for. The objective is to promote the expansion of geological knowledge about terrestrial basins and to encourage investments in exploration and production of oil and natural gas in the areas already under concession and to be offered in future bidding rounds.

The information that will be made available refers to 23 terrestrial sedimentary basins and is equivalent to an estimated volume of approximately two terabytes (2 TB). These are digital well data, 2D post-stack seismic data, 3D post-stack seismic data and data from non-seismic methods. Pre-stack seismic data will not be included in this free provision.

Pre-stack data is field seismic data, raw data without any treatment, while post-stack data is seismic data that undergoes some processing, treatment.

The data will be available from May 2021, through physical deliveries to interested parties, on the applicant's own media with data storage capacity equivalent to the order. In the future, after technical adjustments, the data will also be available on the internet.

The free availability of these data is in line with the guidelines issued by CNPE Resolutions 17/2017 and 05/2020, and by MME within the scope of the Mesa Reate, regarding the dissemination of access to the public technical data collection of Brazilian sedimentary basins. These guidelines are: the incentive and the proposal of measures to stimulate the exploration and production of oil and natural gas in terrestrial basins; the development of small and medium-sized oil discoveries; the increase in the participation of small and medium-sized companies; and the promotion of research and development through universities and research centers.