Emerging Technologies

Abstract

Abstract Oil and gas companies face great pressure to sustain and/or maximize the recovery of resources, in an environment of global competition, under mounting operating expenses, and with stricter accountability to the environment and public safety. Companies must be vigilant to adopt technological innovations that will deliver a stepwise change to the way they conduct their business in order to deliver capital and operational improvements that produce a measurable financial impact. The Canadian oil and gas industry has been amongst the leaders in technological innovation and been equally quick to adopt innovations necessary to exploit and maximize reserves. This paper discusses how new data communications technology and hardware can be linked with traditional business software solutions to deliver information specific to departments and individuals in an organization. The paper focuses on new technologies for data acquisition, well site monitoring, and data analysis, where information is transfered from a remote location to the desktop. Modelling concepts will be reviewed that show how secure and dependable data communications can disseminate information to personnel within an organization to make informed decisions and reduce response time. Data information can be used to "seed" other traditional software applications that will permit more in-depth analysis. Using the Internet to disseminate data within an organization allows collaboration between individuals and departments, creating opportunities for the integration of engineering services with other departments. Introduction Data communications is one of the most rapidly growing and evolving technologies today. Words such as "satellite," "cellular," and "wireless communications," which were unknown terminology in "oil field" vocabulary only a few years ago, are now commonplace. New data communications technology allows well site information to be communicated from almost any location in the world, cost effectively, reliably, securely, and almost instantly. The Internet is becoming the communication mechanism of choice for data and technology delivery, and for the dissemination of data and information within organizations. At Oracle's OpenWorld 2000(1) Conference, Vice President of Product Marketing and Services, Mark Jarvis, told the 35,000 attendees that in five years' time, no one will buy software as a product-it will exist only as a service over the Internet. Director of E&P Services for EDS Energy Industries Group, Dick Standaert(2), wrote that in two or three years, more than 50% of all oil and gas technical services and scientific information services will be Web-based. He believes that by 2005, the Internet will be the accepted norm for all such services. Reference to such comments should not be dismissed as merely an attempt to elicit some form of "shock" value. The movement described is already underway. The imminent changes alluded to are forcing oil and gas producing companies to reconsider the relationship between their equipment suppliers, consultants, partners, and their employees. Providers of consulting services, field services, hardware equipment vendors, and information providers are questioning how they will remain competitive as the delivery and marketing of their services evolve. Oil and gas production companies are questioning whether they have prepared themselves and their employees to take full advantage of technological and service innovations.