Two-pipeline ML approach (pure data science vs. physics-informed) for predicting oil presence from geological/seismic data — SPE DSEATS Africa Datathon 2026
# Oil Presence Prediction — SPE DSEATS Africa Region Datathon 2026
**Predicting the presence of oil in unexplored locations from geological and seismic properties, using a two-pipeline approach that pairs rigorous data science with petroleum-engineering domain knowledge.**
Built by **Team The Cornerstone** for the SPE Data Science and Engineering Analytics Technical Section (DSEATS) Africa Region Datathon 2026.
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## Team
| Name | SPE Number | SPE Section | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omokhoa Oshose Tosayoname | 5905453 | Port Harcourt | University of Nigeria, Nsukka |
| Bakpo Burabari Favour | 5553978 | Port Harcourt | University of Nigeria, Nsukka |
| Awor Mboya Celestine | 5425770 | Port Harcourt | Rivers State University |
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## The Challenge
SPE DSEATS Africa Region posed a binary classification problem: given seven geological and seismic properties for a location, predict whether oil is present (`Oil_Presence` = 1) or not (0).
- **3,000** training records, **2,000** test records
- **72.2% / 27.8%** class split, no oil vs. oil present, a real imbalance problem
- Deliberately messy data: nulls, outliers, and technical anomalies the competition guidelines explicitly expect participants to clean using **domain knowledge**, not just imputation defaults
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| `Rock_Type` | Sandstone, Limestone, or Shale |
| `Porosity` (%) | Empty space in the rock, 0–30% |
| `Permeability` (mD) | Ease of fluid movement, 1–1000 mD |
| `Trap_Type` | Anticline, Fault, Dome, or None |
| `Seismic_Score` | 0–1, likelihood of a reservoir from seismic survey data |
| `Proximity_to_Oil_Field` (km) | Distance to nearest known field |
| `Estimated_Reservoir_Depth` (m) | 500–5000 m |
| `Oil_Presence` | Target: 1 = oil found, 0 = no oil |
Full rules: `docs/SPE_DSEATS_Africa_2026_Datathon_Guidelines.pdf`
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## Our Approach: Two Pipelines, One Question
We built **two complete, independently evaluated pipelines** on purpose, not because w …