Creating a visual playground for data exploration and analysis has proven quite popular with companies both large and small.

FORBES: A Vision for Unifying Access to Data and Documents

In fact, a large part of the book is devoted to this exploration, analysis and goal realization.

FORBES: Do You Want To Simplify Your Life? An Interview With Sam Davidson

Large amounts of data in Oil and Gas is exploration data and needs to be combined with GIS systems for visualization and analysis.

FORBES: Big Data: A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

In Pakistan, for example, the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM), created under the auspices of UNESCO, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) designed the Integrated Flood Analysis System (IFAS), a risk-prevention system using data obtained via satellite.

UNESCO: Published in Mainichi Newspaper on 21 May 2012.

This year, Cairn should complete analysis of data from other exploration blocks off the west coast of Greenland, and will then seek exploration investment partners.

BBC: Cairn Energy announces its 2013 strategy