Alberta Oilfield Data Sources Directory
Comprehensive directory of every public data source for Alberta oilfield well records, operator data, and regulatory filings.
Alberta has one of the most transparent oilfield data ecosystems in the world. Public regulatory filings, well records, and production data are available from multiple sources — each with different strengths, formats, and access methods. This directory maps every source so you can choose the right tool for your research task.
Data Sources Directory
| Source | Data Types | Update Frequency | Access Method | Strengths | Limitations | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AER ST37 Well Records | Well status, licence details, wellbore data, production volumes, formation tops, operator info. | Monthly | AER website (PDF/CSV download). FracturingHub ingests and indexes automatically. | Most granular well-level data available. Includes production by well, not just field-level. | PDF format is difficult to parse manually. Large datasets require significant processing. | Primary source for well-level research. Operator profiling, well count analysis, production trend identification. |
| Petrinex | Production data, well test data, facility data, sales volumes. | Monthly (with delay) | Web portal with search and download. Requires free account. | Official production reporting system. Covers all Alberta production including gas plant data. | Interface is dated. Data presentation is not optimized for bulk analysis or mapping. | Verifying production figures. Looking up specific well production. Cross-referencing with ST37 data. |
| Alberta Open Data Portal | Well locations (GIS shapefiles), pipeline networks, facility locations, environmental data. | Varies by dataset (monthly to annually) | Open data portal with API access. Downloadable shapefiles and CSVs. | GIS-ready data for mapping. Machine-readable formats. API available. | Not always up to date. Some datasets lag by 6-12 months. | Mapping well locations. Building GIS layers for regional analysis. Pipeline proximity analysis. |
| AER Active Well Database | Currently active wells with basic status and location data. | Monthly | AER web interface with search and filter. | Quick way to get a current snapshot of active wells. Simple interface. | Only active wells — no historical or inactive data. Limited detail per well. | Quick counts of active wells by region, field, or operator. Basic filtering. |
| AlbertaWellFinder | Well locations, basic well data, map-based search. | Periodically updated | Web-based map interface. | Visual map-based exploration. Good for geographic discovery. | Limited data fields. Not suitable for bulk data extraction. | Quick visual check of what wells exist in an area. Geographic orientation. |
| FracturingHub | ST37 well records (indexed, searchable, mappable), operator profiles, well count analytics, production trends, regional filters, export tools. | Monthly (as AER releases ST37) | SaaS web platform. Search, filter, map, export. | ST37 data pre-processed and indexed. Search by operator, region, status, production. Mapping built in. Export to CSV for CRM integration. | Requires subscription. Data coverage limited to ST37 source data. | Primary research platform. Operator intelligence, well portfolio analysis, territory planning, sales lead generation. |
| NRCan (Natural Resources Canada) | National energy statistics, reserve estimates, production forecasts, geological surveys. | Quarterly to annually | Web portal with reports and data downloads. | Macro-level context. National and provincial comparisons. Geological data. | Not well-level data. Aggregated statistics. Significant reporting lag. | Market context, reserve estimates, understanding national energy trends for pitch decks and business planning. |
| Alberta Provincial Archives | Historical well records, legacy operator data, historical production, land records. | Static (historical records) | In-person and some digitized records online. | Historical depth. Records going back to early Alberta oilpatch. | Not digitized. Manual research required for most records. | Historical operator research, legacy well investigations, due diligence on older assets. |
| AER Directive 058 (Gas Facilities) | Gas processing plant data, facility status, throughput volumes. | Monthly | AER website reports. | Facility-level data. Shows processing capacity and utilization. | Gas-focused. Limited oil facility data. | Researching gas processing capacity in a region. Identifying facility operators. |
| AER Equivalent Data Sources | Production, injection, well data compiled from various AER directives. | Monthly to annually | AER website. | Covers gaps between ST37 and other sources. | Fragmented across multiple directives and reports. | Filling in data gaps. Cross-referencing and validation. |
For a detailed breakdown of how each data source is used in practice, see our data sources and methodology guide.
Choosing the Right Source
For Operator Research
Start with FracturingHub for operator profiles, well counts, and activity trends. Cross-reference with Petrinex for production verification. Use AER Active Well Database for quick current snapshots.
For Territory Planning
FracturingHub's map view combined with Alberta Open Data GIS layers gives you the best spatial picture. Use Alberta Open Data shapefiles for pipeline and facility overlay analysis.
For Production Analysis
ST37 data (via FracturingHub) gives you well-level production. Petrinex provides the official record. NRCan provides macro context for your pitch materials.
For Sales Lead Generation
FracturingHub is purpose-built for this — filter by status changes, regional activity, and operator type to surface sales-ready leads. Export to CSV for CRM upload.
For Due Diligence
Combine FracturingHub current data with Petrinex historical production and Alberta Provincial Archives for legacy well records. This gives you the full picture of an operator's or asset's history.
How These Sources Fit Together in a Research Workflow
No single source answers every question, so effective research chains them. Start with AER ST37 to identify wells, operators, and status. Confirm production reality in Petrinex, since a well can read Active in ST37 while producing nothing. Pull regulatory context — directives, filings, and reclamation records — from the AER for wells that show a status transition. Layer in company websites and trade directories for accessibility intelligence. This is the same sequence captured in the well research checklist, and the well status interpretation guideexplains how to read the status field each source reports.
Beyond Alberta: BC, Saskatchewan, and Federal Sources
If your territory crosses provincial lines, the equivalent regulators publish comparable data. The BC Energy Regulator covers Montney and Deep Basin wells in northeast British Columbia, and Saskatchewan's regulator covers the Bakken and Viking on its side of the border. For offshore and frontier context, federal bodies such as the Canada Energy Regulator publish national pipeline and market data, while the U.S. equivalents — EIA for market data, USGS for geological assessments, and state commissions for well records — cover cross-border comparisons. Map each jurisdiction's status codes separately rather than assuming Alberta definitions carry over.
Industry and Standards Organizations
Public well data tells you what happened; industry organizations tell you how the work is done. The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) publish technical papers on completion design, fracturing, and reservoir characterization. The American Petroleum Institute (API) sets equipment and operational standards. FracFocus discloses hydraulic fracturing fluid ingredients. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) publishes industry statistics and outlooks. These are context sources — use them to sharpen your technical conversations, not to identify individual wells.
Data Quality Considerations
- Timeliness: ST37 data is typically 1-2 months old by the time it is published. Factor this into any time-sensitive analysis.
- Coverage: No single source has complete data. ST37 covers well records but not all facility data. Petrinex covers production but not wellbore details.
- Accuracy: Public data is self-reported by operators and subject to AER audit. Spot-check critical figures against multiple sources when making business decisions.
- Format: Raw ST37 PDFs are difficult to work with. FracturingHub's indexed format eliminates this barrier entirely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is FracturingHub a replacement for AER and Petrinex?
No. FracturingHub is a research and business intelligence layer on top of ST37 data. You still need Petrinex for official production verification and AER for regulatory filings and directives. FracturingHub saves you time by pre-processing and indexing ST37 data for search, mapping, and export.
How current is the data in FracturingHub?
FracturingHub ingests ST37 data as soon as AER releases it, which is typically monthly. There is always a 1-2 month lag between actual well activity and when it appears in ST37 data. For real-time well status, you would need direct AER licence inquiry access.
Can I download raw data from FracturingHub?
Yes. FracturingHub supports CSV export of search results and filtered datasets. This is designed for CRM integration, spreadsheet analysis, and territory planning workflows.
What about third-party data providers like GeoVault or IHS?
Commercial data aggregators offer additional data layers (land tenure, geological data, seismic) but at significant cost. For most oilfield service sales research, public data sources — especially ST37 — provide sufficient detail. Start with free/public sources before investing in commercial subscriptions.
Are there API access options for programmatic data access?
Alberta Open Data Portal offers APIs for GIS and some well data. FracturingHub provides export functionality. AER does not offer a public API for ST37 data — it requires web scraping or manual download.
How do I know which data source to trust when numbers differ?
Petrinex is the official production reporting system. ST37 provides well record data. When numbers differ, Petrinex takes precedence for production figures and ST37 for well details. Always note which source you used when citing data in business materials.
What is AER ST37 and what does it contain?
ST37 is the AER's List of Wells in Alberta. It contains well licence numbers, UWIs, well names, operators, locations, status codes, and key dates. It is the foundational dataset for identifying wells and operators, but it does not contain production volumes — you pull those from Petrinex.
What does Petrinex provide that ST37 does not?
Petrinex is the joint industry-government system of record for volumetric reporting — monthly oil, gas, and water production and injection by well and facility. Use it to confirm whether an Active well is actually producing and to spot production decline that signals workover or artificial lift demand.
Where do I find regulatory filings and directives?
The AER publishes directives, bulletins, decisions, and licence records on its website. These provide the regulatory context behind a well's status — for example, suspension rules, abandonment requirements, and reclamation certificate progress. Pair them with ST37 status when a well shows a transition.
Is there a cost to any of these public sources?
AER ST37, Petrinex public reports, and the Alberta Open Data Portal are free. Commercial aggregators (land tenure, seismic, geological interpretation) charge subscriptions. Start with the free public sources; most oilfield service sales research is fully served by ST37 and Petrinex.
Can I research wells in BC or Saskatchewan the same way?
Yes, using each province's regulator. The BC Energy Regulator covers northeast BC Montney and Deep Basin wells; Saskatchewan's regulator covers the Bakken and Viking. The data categories are similar, but status codes and filing formats differ, so map each jurisdiction to your service categories independently.
What role do SPE, AAPG, and API play in research?
They are context sources, not well databases. SPE and AAPG publish technical literature on fracturing, completions, and reservoir geology; API sets equipment and operational standards. Use them to strengthen technical credibility in operator conversations, not to identify specific wells or operators.
What is FracFocus and when is it useful?
FracFocus is a public chemical disclosure registry for hydraulic fracturing fluids. It is useful when you want to understand the fluid systems and additives an operator has used on completed wells. It complements, rather than replaces, AER well records and Petrinex production data.
How do I keep my data current given the ST37 lag?
Because ST37 is released monthly with a one-to-two-month lag, set up a monitoring routine that re-checks your operators and territories after each release. Saved searches and watchlists let you flag new licences and status changes automatically rather than re-downloading raw files each cycle.
Which source should I cite in a proposal or report?
Cite the authoritative source for each figure: Petrinex for production volumes, AER ST37 for well counts and status, and AER filings for regulatory context. Always note the dataset date. Mixing sources without attribution undermines credibility when a client verifies the numbers.
Explore More Resources
This page provides general educational information from FracturingHub. It is not a substitute for professional training, engineering review, regulatory guidance, or site-specific safety instruction. Always confirm requirements with qualified professionals and follow local regulations, site procedures, and safety standards.