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previously unexamined or inaccessible,” said the glob- al research and consulting ? rm IDC Energy Insights,

Strategies to ID adding the industry is starting to think about whether

Potential Disasters there is value in analyzing data across disciplines. For

Experience with process safety management example, could seismic data, typically the province of has shown seven strategies that can help in exploration, be used to enhance oil production?

the identi? cation of early indicators and root

IDC expects the Big Data technology and services out the latent errors behind them. The seven market to grow from $3.2 billion in 2010 to $16.9 billion strategies are: in 2015, predicts Jill Feblowitz, vice president at IDC 1 – Controlling head high pressure

Energy Insights. 2 – Learn from deviation

Big Data is generally defined as volume, veloc- 3 – Uncovering root causes ity, variety and value, which Invensys Operations 4 – Demand accountability

Management calls the “four rights” – the right infor- 5 – Consider worse case scenarios mation to the right people at the right time with the 6 – Evaluate projects at every stage right context. 7 – Reward responsibility

Because of the torrent of data, people are still spend- ing about 70 percent of their time preparing data, the make new information available to a wider internal same as 20 years ago. What they need is better context, audience – all to reduce the cost of drilling thousands Invensys executives explain. This is essential.

of wells with increased speed and ef? ciency. Preparing Simply stated, the context needed for the data is for the onslaught of Big Data, Dorland was named in the business objective of the rig: Increase quality or 2011 to lead Shell’s new effort, called Technical and quantity of production, or to reduce cost of operation,

Competitive Information Technology. costs of drilling or energy use, while improving safety

As Shell Chief Executive Peter Voser told The Wall and environmental standards. With the context for

St. Journal, information technology (IT) innovation the business objective of the operation, the operator is critical for the company to become the most com- through all the automation tools can quickly arrive at petitive and innovative energy company in the world. the strategy to achieve the objective. Don’t gather data

While declining to comment speci? cally on the amount for the sake of gathering data, use it to turn a business of its investment in IT, Shell’s capital spending rose strategy into pro? t, Invensys executives urge.

to $38 billion in 2013 from $32 billion in 2012 up 23 The key to understanding the business objective percent from $24.6 billion the previous year, according is the overlay of policies and procedures, involving to the company. contractors and op- “Transforming Big Data to enable better decisions erators. Difficulty in requires signi? cant work,” said Charles Peters, senior ensuring the lack of

Big data is executive vice president at Emerson. “Big Data opens compliance to policies generally de? ned as a sea of opportunities.” Organizations must simply and procedures is in- work through the challenges to ensure numerous herent in the business volume, velocity, inputs are useful inputs. “The potential looms large model which doesn’t for those organizations that commit – to better busi- allow companies variety and value . . . ness processes, to destroying organizational silos, working on the same to smarter products and to solutions that allow our rig to cooperate.

the right information, customers to prosper.” “We can’t change to the right people,

Exploration and Production is data-driven, that’s the culture, but we can not new. However, what drives the data is. New tech- change behaviors; we at the right time, nology is now available to process high volumes of can ensure that poli- data, which is unprecedented in scale and scope, in cies and procedures with the right context.

streams rather than ? xed datasets, accumulating in are responded to. This large volumes at high velocity. The potential is entic- is why people are in- ing: More oil from existing wells, a hedge against price vesting in process improvement,” said Victor Lough, volatility, a buffer to risk, enhanced use of diminishing Invensys Operations Management product manager.

talent, remote operation, and, the holy grail, the fully While Big Data is revered as the silver bullet, it automated rig and higher pro? tability. also looks like a short cut, “let’s remember policy and st

Advanced technology is the spine of 21 century procedure, then apply technology. With Big Data you energy development. Just take a look at Chevron’s need software but you must remember that you also internal IT traf? c which exceeds 1.5 terabytes a day. need the boundaries from policies and procedures,”

In one case a large seismic data processing center Lough said.

“will gather the power of 20,000 personal computers to As the industry faces an unprecedented drain of crunch a single seismic data set,” said Jay R. Pryor, vice expertise from retirements, experience and knowledge president, business development, Chevron Corp., in a can be leveraged effectively with a process safety speech to the World National Oil Companies Congress. management system. Also, as the visibility of the costs “The oil and gas industry is recognizing that of decisions increases with the system, decisions there could be untapped value in data that has been get faster action, saving time and money, as well as oedigital.com 159

May 2014 | OE REVIEW 158_0514OER_Big_Data.indd 159 4/19/14 11:11 AM