Mobile Applications

The oil and gas industry is about to undergo a massive boom in spending for mobile apps and

other mobile technologies. Spending on mobile will reach nearly $18.7 billion by 2020, up from

$7 billion in 2015, according to a study by MarketsandMarkets. That represents a compound

annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.7 percent in what the report calls “one of the most crucial

markets in the world.” North America will see the most spending, followed by Europe, APAC,

the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America.

What kind of benefits can oil and gas companies expect from the use of mobile technology?

Natalie Cheng cites five specific benefits companies can expect to see in her blog “Benefits of a

Mobile Field Service App,” for the ChaiOne digital strategy firm.

Data Capture

In the oil and gas industry, a great deal of fieldwork is done by field managers, derrick hands,

geologists and others. They need to capture information quickly and accurately. Traditionally

that has meant paper, which means lost productivity and inaccurate information. And laptops are

typically too unwieldy to use. So, Cheng says, “With a mobile phone or tablet, people in the field

can get information easily and spend more time doing other parts of their job which reduces

downtime. Workers can also organize and review information better with a mobile device instead

of trying to decipher notes written from the field.”

Real-Time Information

Real-time information for the oil and gas industry is as good as gold. Mobile apps and solutions

can gather vast amounts of it, including the pump rate, mud viscosity and much more. That

information can be used to make fast decisions that make a difference. As Cheng explains, “real-
time information helps workers get the most accurate information needed, which leads to higher

quality results. If production is up or down wouldn’t you like to know in real time?”

Location

Smartphones and tablets can provide geolocation information for people and resources. That

makes it easier to match available people to the work that needs to be done. It also helps improve

safety by precisely locating geographic areas that have dangers in them. Cheng concludes:

“Location helps get information to the right people at the right time in the right context. Real-

time operational intelligence helps save money and headaches.”

Collaboration

Oil and gas companies are often vast and sprawling, with many different people needing to work

together — from out the field to the offices, to executives on the road. Mobile apps and

technology makes collaboration easier and more effective. As Cheng explains, “It’s important

that operators, engineers, and other executives collaborate on projects since many organizations

operate across different countries. Having a mobile device helps enhance collaboration by giving

these people a tool to send real time information and get feedback immediately.”

Better Decision-Making

More data plus timely information plus better collaboration means better decisions are made.

Tasks get prioritized better, better choices are made about which wells to pursue. Cheng

concludes that leads to “less mistakes, happier employees, and a higher ROI.”
Web Development

A good designer knows what will look good on a screen, but they also need to know how to

make sure your website performs well. If your website isn’t helping you meet your business

goals, you’ll end up investing a lot of time and money into a product that simply doesn’t pay.

Your site’s overall design should include a few key concepts to deliver the best results. 

1. Simplicity

People who go to your site want to find information quickly, and the only way to do that is to use

a simple, clean, and easy-to-use layout. They don’t want to scan an entire page trying to find the

links that go to the information they need. They want to know your company’s name, address,

phone number, pricing, hours of operation, work schedule, and more and they want to know it

quickly!

Your site should have clear places for your company name, logo, contact information, headings,

and page text. All of these elements should be laid out so visitors can find them quickly and

easily. After all, the faster someone can find what they need, the faster they can convert into

customers. 

2. Clarity

A simple design needs to be accompanied by clear and readable labeling. The labels on your site

can be links to other pages, headings for the content on a page, and anything else that tells a

reader what they can expect from a page.

Good designers know how to lay pages out to make them easy to scan for users. They know

where to place the most important information and how to make it stand out. They may use

color, varying typefaces, different fonts, or other elements to draw a reader’s attention.

3. Usability

To top off all of your work, your site needs to be easy to use. When a page doesn’t load properly

or photos aren’t visible, you make yourself look unprofessional. Every page you have should

load quickly and display every page element properly, whether someone’s looking on their

laptop, smartphone, tablet, or other device.

Good web designers will make your oil and Gas Company’s site responsive as they’re working

so that you can immediately reach as many potential customers as possible. They’ll also add

buttons to your site that visitors can easily click or touch, and they’ll make your site scrollable on

handheld devices. With all of those elements in place, you’ll have a strong online presence that

can bring you more customers. 

RFID Technology

During the inspection or production of the crude oil and gas RFID technology is very responding

in this industry of oil and natural gas.RFID tags or readers are attached to the drilling pipes for

the measurement in-depth, for pipe health and for the measurement of estimated depth in which

oil is available.

RFID tags have information related to underground temperature, flow rate velocity, stress, and

mud composition. They used pipes and drills are also tagged with RFID tags that give

information regarding pipe identification number, age, length, number of times it is used for

drilling, recent job ID, etc.

The RFID procedure helps oil drilling companies to select the required equipment for their

proper operations. The RFID technology is used extensively in the facilities or oil rigs, where the

pipelines and other equipment undergo extreme temperatures due to which they start to

disintegrate very quickly and after some time lead to loss of oil and simultaneously become a

threat to marine life.

To maintain this equipment and units, RFID tags are used for the identification of individual

pipeline joints and their assemblage, oil leakage from the pipes, pipeline joint pressure, proper

assembling of the pipework equipment during exploration, and unreachable pipes or flanges.

RFID tags are also attached to underwater equipment to identify factors that might be harmful to

the marine system. The tags also assist in tracking remote vehicles and divers who work in

remote areas finding digging sites. RFID with metal surface compatibility is used for all kinds of

oil drilling, exploration, and transportation equipment.

NFC Technology

Keep IT Mobile, which currently develops software solutions that help companies streamline

their technological flows and, implicitly, digitize, has obtained the Seal of Excellence distinction

within the Horizon 2020 program of the European Commission, phase 2, being the first company

in Romania to obtain this quality label for the development of the NFC technology.

“We can provide any company on the territory of Romania with digitization solutions like those

produced by giants in the field, with the advantage that we customize them, and they have lower

prices. As background, we come from multinational companies where most of the experience

was gained with international software companies focused on aviation, meteorology, logistics

etc. We are now using a new technology for the traceability of activities, human resources, and
physical items in general. The technology is called NFC and we all have it integrated in the

mobile phones, being known for the mobile parts, except we applied it for other purposes.

Basically, we attach such NFC chips on equipment, tools, locations, following that with a simple

touch with the mobile phone we have all the information in that place. We provide personalized

solutions for companies, as you go to the tailor for a custom-made suit,” says Vicentiu Corbu,

founder and CEO of Keep IT Mobile.

In the last seven years, Keep IT Mobile has developed (with a team consisting of 10 employees

plus collaborators) a number of software solutions covering the need for digitization for a large

part of industries, having clients such as Electroalfa Botosani, Comelf Bistrita, Pyronova (from

Slovakia, with subsidiaries in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Russia),

Severnav, Vard, 24 Ianuarie Ploiesti or Daas International shipyards.

Virtual Reality
Listed below are the leading oil and gas companies adopting virtual reality trends, as identified

by Global Data?

Baker Hughes (GE)

Baker Hughes, a GE company, deploys VR technology to simulate oil and gas facilities within

the training rooms. VR helps the company to focus on the digital design of the equipment to the

minute details. It offers a higher level of accuracy and clarity about the equipment and working

mechanism before installation phase.

BP Plc

Virtual reality aids BP’s workforce to become well-trained for real-life challenges. BP, in

collaboration with Maersk Training, has established a platform to enhance the knowledge of
offshore drilling teams. Using simulation facilities in Svendborg, Denmark, and Houston, Texas,

BP has pioneered in creating physical conditions during drilling activity.

The VR-based training replicates critical conditions of the drilling zone. This facilitates the

workers to get accustomed to the situation in advance.

Chevron

Chevron uses virtual reality at its El Segundo refinery in California. This helps to reduce

considerable time and money spent on the maintenance process. VR goggles simulate the

refinery equipment and sensor data superimposed on the 3D model allows a technician to

identify problem and provide solutions promptly.

ConocoPhillips

ConocoPhillips embraces virtual reality to make better utilisation of its existing communication

and visualisation technologies. The company’s Norway division has established Onshore

Drilling Centre (ODC) to operate drilling activities in the North Sea. The ODC includes a 3D

visualisation suite to create a Virtual Team consisting of domain experts. The Virtual Team

evaluates real-time data along with 3D visualization of downhole drilling equipment.

Augmented Reality

The oil and gas industry is one of the largest sectors in the world, generating millions of revenue

annually. With rising global demand as well as numerous economic problems, the oil and gas

industry is facing the challenge of reducing costs, optimizing the performance of its industrial

base assets, and improving working conditions. Augmented Reality (AR) is being utilized as an

innovative technology that provides solutions for optimizing production systems and
environmental utilities on currently operating sites. AR is a technology that superimposes

computer-generated data such as text, image, or video onto the real-world environment. The

implementation of AR technology in the oil and gas sector has proven to companies and their

employees that it is a smart asset to invest in. More and more companies are realizing the

extensive variety of benefits that AR technology offers.

AR technology provides solutions to improve the process of repairing machines that require an

urgent need for services. Machines that are not functional require a specialized technician to be

repaired, this causes many processes to be interrupted until the root cause of the machine

malfunction is discovered. AR-Remote Support by enabling real-time connection of a centre

expert with field technicians provides fast and effective solutions for the repair and maintenance

process. Through AR collaboration field technicians can easily discover the root cause of the

machinery malfunction and solve the problem.

References

1. Lin, J., Wang, B., Wang, N., & Lu, Y. (2014). Understanding the evolution of consumer trust

in mobile commerce: a longitudinal study. Information Technology and Management, 15(1),

37-49.

2. Feeney, M., & Companies Uber, R. (2015). Is Ridesharing Safe.

3. Martin, C. (2011). The third screen: marketing to your customers in a world gone mobile.

Boston: Nicholas Brealey.

4. Lin, J., Wang, B., Wang, N., & Lu, Y. (2014). Understanding the evolution of consumer trust

in mobile commerce: a longitudinal study. Information Technology and Management, 15(1),

37-49.