WITSML was initially developed by an oil industry initiative sponsored initially by BP and Statoil, and then later by Shell, as a new standard for the transfer of Geotechnical data such as drilling and geological information. Participation in this initiative now covers most of the major Oil & Gas Operators and Service Companies worldwide.

Through meeting and collaboration, the Oil & Gas Industry has formed Special Interest Groups (SIGs), which meet regularly to agree and promote the definitions of the various types of Geotechnical data so that these may be exchanged between service contractors and Oil & Gas Operators.

The defined goal of the original non-profit making organization was to define and promote the use of standards which would improve the flow of Geotechnical data, and in particular in the first instance 'real-time' data that was to be transmitted and delivered to the end-users as it was actually being incorporated.

To quote the WITSML website:

To promote the 'right time' seamless flow of well site data between operators and service companies in order to speed and enhance decision-making.”

Once agreed, the data schemas are published on the organization website, whence they can be downloaded and used by the various data acquisition and other specialized data companies who have a need to receive data to perform their own services.

Early schemas for WITSML V1.0 and V1.1 looked at the requirement for Mudlogging and Measurement while Drilling (MWD). These have been used successfully now by several data acquisition and data companies.

As of the completion of WITSML V1.2 in March 2003, the custody of WITSML was passed to the Energistics.

Energistics is an international, not-for-profit, membership organization, and has an objective “to unite Oil & Gas Industry people, issues and ideas to collaboratively address Exploration & Production information challenges and opportunities”.

Further details of the involvement of Energistics in the WITSML developments may be found at the following url:
www.energistics.org

WITSML has now moved on to the definition of non real-time data such as lagged data and object descriptions, and some of these have been defined in the latest release WITSML V1.3.

Further details and the latest specifications of the WITSML initiative may be found at the url:
www.witsml.org