November 25, 2013 -- Do you ever need to spot wells or leases based on footage calls? Without the XY locations and a smart grid file this can be a pretty daunting task. For some of us this is going to be old hat, while for others it might save a ton of time.

Time and time again, we see GeoGrahix and Petra users downloading shapefiles, and shapefiles only. First of all... we provide multiple formats for no extra cost. It's always a good idea to select shapefiles and the format which is native to your mapping application. For GeoGraphix choose CDF as well (or PRA - T/R Digitizer format), and for Petra, choose PRA (T/R Digitizer).

One of the best things about these two mapping programs (from a GIS perspective) is how they automap batch footage calls for well spots and leases. You can't do this with a shapefile. You will need your native file format. Once you have your PRA or CDF files load them into the land grid database within your mapping program. Within that database you should see fields populated that include Meridian, Township, Township direction, etc.

You now have a smart land grid database loaded.

You can now batch spot your wells or leases (PLSS states only - Texas is another article!) from a spreadsheet or from with your mapping program. If you are a GeoGraphix or Petra user - when acquiring your land grid data, think of shapefiles as visualization only. CDF or PRA (T/R Digitizer files) are going to be your smart grid or you grid database files. You can still use the shapefiles you acquired for the display layer as some people find the labeling to be more appealing. In other words, get both file formats if possible.

US Land Grid offers land grid, by the county and on-demand, in multiple file formats. Please contact us if you have any questions or visit our website (www.uslandgrid.com) if you would let to buy or sample some of our smarter grid files.