Digital Energy Journal- UK’s NSTA makes it easier to search the National Data Repository

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UK’s NSTA makes it easier to search the National Data Repository

Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Powering exploration with accessible data

Oil and gas, carbon storage and other offshore energy projects have all been handed a significant boost with a series of data accessibility innovations.

Vital information on the North Sea Transition Authority's National Data Repository (NDR), which contains more than one million files dating from the 1960s to the present, can now be located in just a few seconds.

The sheer quantity and range of data combined means that the NDR is an unequalled treasure trove of information, but until now it could be challenging for researchers to find what they needed.

Around 800,000 files that relate to offshore wells have been analysed, their contents identified and then labelled with plain language tags to make their contents clear.

This was complemented by setting up a free text search functionality, which sped up the process even further for researchers. The enhanced search uses AI to interpret users' search terms and connect them to NSTA tags and terminology. This means users can search using their own words and phrases.

This allows users to use specific, often obscure, words that can open up information of particular technical use. For example: 'foraminifera' - microscopic creatures that appear as fossils in rock samples and can be used to determine the ages of rocks, a process called biostratigraphy.

Foraminifera is too specific for NSTA tags but biostratigraphy tags can be located in seconds with the AI search so users can go directly to the content they need.

This searchability allows researchers to find the information they need quickly and easily, whether to determine that hydrocarbons may be present, or a location may be suitable for carbon storage or as a place to site an offshore wind farm.

Andy Thompson, NSTA Head of Product Services, said:

'High-quality information is vital for research and making good business decisions. The NDR contains all the information needed and the improvements we have made to accessibility mean that it is an extraordinarily useful resource.

'We know that it is already used extensively by scientists, researchers, industry colleagues, academics and government and we are confident that now it will become an even greater tool for innovation and exploration.'

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