Addition of Essential Marcellus Shale Data to Nation’s Largest Parcel Database Assists Natural Gas Exploration

CoreLogic Spatial Solutions (FASS), a member of The CoreLogic Corporation (NYSE: FAF) family of companies and a leader in spatial and natural hazard risk solutions, today announced that it has digitally mapped more than 124 million parcels, expanding ParcelPoint^®, its extensive parcel database.  Inclusively, CoreLogic has compiled the most complete data available in the Marcellus Shale with more than 94 percent of the counties in the region, including the addition of Fayette and Cameron counties in Pennsylvania. This effectively addresses the growing need for surface ownership information for natural gas exploration and transmission in the region. 

As the race for natural gas development continues, it is imperative that oil and gas organizations have the resources necessary to accurately and quickly determine parcel boundaries and ownership. An area that appears to be one of the most promising for natural gas exploration is the Marcellus Shale, which extends from Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, and into New York. The bulk of the Marcellus Shale covers approximately 65 million acres or two-thirds of Pennsylvania, a crucial area for exploration and drilling.  

“We are continuing to expand our parcel database to address our customers’ needs for precision-level geographic insights. Our goal is to provide data that can be utilized by a broad range of industries, from telecommunications and insurance to oil and gas,” said Scott Little, vice president and general manager of CoreLogic Spatial Solutions. “The addition of Fayette and Cameron counties provides our oil and gas customers another piece of the puzzle in the Marcellus Shale, helping them improve processes to streamline exploration in the area.” 

By utilizing FASS’ ParcelPoint data, oil and gas organizations have access to a single source for comprehensive, accurate and current parcel, property, and tax data to quickly determine land ownership and facilitate land departments’ procurement of leases/easements, verification of tax information and fulfillment of regulatory requirements. These data allow them to assess the best locations for new transmission and distribution projects.

Parcels, which are most commonly defined in real estate as a “lot” or a “tract” and have defined and surveyed boundaries (or property lines), are typically documented within a county or township along with the ownership and tax information. FASS has converted digital and paper maps, as well as legal descriptions from most of the nation’s counties into a single standardized spatial database. The parcels in CoreLogic’s ParcelPoint database also provide the exact area and associated latitudes and longitudes that are vital in identifying a property’s exact position on Earth.