I'm very grateful to be able to use it, and I have a master's degree with a focus in Geospatial Analysis. There can be a bit of a learning curve, and I try to build user-friendly ways for volunteers to see & collect data. Meanwhile, if a colleague is less confident with building such a system, it may be more difficult for them to implement.
The Paradigm geologic and petrophysical interpretation software suite offers a complete package for integrated projects where a team starts from offset well data and leads all the way to mapping of horizons, properties and reservoir models. Geolog, the petrophysical module, is very powerful and versatile. Although they offer separate add-ons, for smaller projects where the petrophysical interpretation is done by a third-party, even the minimum package might be overkill.
Geolog is extremely robust and powerful in handling large volumes of logs per well and a large number of wells, which is an asset for basin-scale projects.
Geolog is very flexible in terms of customizing log layout presentations and calculating anything via mathematical or logical expressions.
Epos display of fluid production data is very useful in cross-analyzing maturity and organic content versus hydrocarbons produced.
Geolog could use a LAS batch loading graphical interface that doesn't require the use of prompt commands.
Geolog's geologic intervals display has improved in the last versions, but it's still cumbersome to set up and maintain (i.e. adding new intervals, changing stratigraphy).
SKUA-Paradigm should support geographic coordinates in order to avoid the workaround of creating pseudo-coordinates across UTM zone boundaries.
Simply because the program deserves it. It seems to me that it is a fundamental tool for the storage, analysis, and interpretation of medium and large-scale phenomena, unmanageable with traditional engineering software. Its versatility in the handling of the different "layers" with which the data is handled and interpolation tools, make this software a powerful ally both for companies and for the educational part of the universities.
Once set up, the tools are extremely easy to use. I had a staff member develop a tool for field data collection, that included an external and internal dashboards to monitor progress in days. The field workers that collected the data, barely knew how to use a computer, and within minutes they could use the application that was configured for them.
Unlike other platforms (ex: EMSI), there is no "help desk" new users can easily call into for troubleshooting or errors, and so you have to spend LOTS of time trying workarounds. This is also because the help center blog posts are usually pretty confusing, and many times do not include images or videos to help you along. Any such changes would be immensely useful!
My students love the "drop" feature in Google Maps, but besides that it truly doesn't compare. I love that you can add, delete, or change layers to this map to better understand its larger affect. There are many more ways to manipulate maps on ArcGIS than on Google Maps. I can also add personal details and information if I want to create a specific map, something that I am unable to do with Google
Regarding the petrophysical modules, I have used other petrophysical software packages, and Paradigm is superior in data handling, visualization, flexibility, and batch calculations. Regarding the mapping and modeling, Paradigm is on par with other software I used on the same scale. SKUA-Gocad has some advantages over its main competitor, in terms of data manipulation, but the inability to handle geographic coordinates has a negative impact on my work efficiency.
Paradigm Geolog has allowed us to handle the vast quantities of well log data in order to achieve our research goals and deliver the results to the sponsoring companies.
Paradigm Epos and SKUA-GOCAD have made possible to map the results of our petrophysical analysis on a basin-wide scale encompassing two provinces, without which our research deliverables would not have been possible.
