What technologies are central to implementing digital transformation? This article describes current and future technologies that enable digital transformation.
The previous article described applications that can offer significant benefits when implementing digital transformation at oil and natural gas producers. You can read it at this link.
Leading digital transformation technologies
Digital transformation leverages newer information technologies for business value. Examples of information technologies that advance digital transformation include:
- Cloud computing provides on-demand computing resources. It outsources the operation of your computing infrastructure to a vendor.
- Data analytics and visualization integrate data from multiple data sources and analyze it for business insights.
- Software-as-a-service (SaaS) is a software licensing and delivery model. Customers license the software on a subscription basis. The vendor operates the software centrally, and it’s accessed there by all the customers.
- Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a term for networks of many sensors and instruments that acquire digital data for applications. In many ways, it’s the further development of SCADA.
- Robotic process automation (RPA) is advanced software to better support process automation by emulating human actions.
- Tablets and smartphones are used ubiquitously. However, many opportunities to use tablets in a business context remain to be explored and implemented.
- Machine learning is a branch of AI and computer science that uses data and algorithms to imitate human learning without following explicit instructions.
- Graph DBMS is a newish DBMS technology that focuses on managing the graphs or relationships in large data volumes.
Do some of these digital transformation information technologies trigger ideas that can help you improve your business?
Future digital transformation developments
These technologies will have broad application at oil and natural gas producers and contribute to digital transformation:
- Artificial intelligence (AI) simulates human intelligence processes using computer systems.
- Artificial intelligence
- Today humans make most decisions
- Artificial intelligence is about software making decisions more autonomously with less human supervision or involvement
- Oil & gas examples include seismic interpretation and gas plant or refinery operation
- Augmented reality superimposes a computer-generated image on a user’s view of the real world, thus providing a composite view.
- Augmented reality
- Augmented reality merges the real world with the digital world
- Augmented reality can improve operations and repairs by bringing component data onto the screen for staff to see and evaluate
- Augmented reality reduces mistakes during operation and maintenance
- Augmented reality eliminates walking back and forth between the component location and the field office
- Blockchain
- Blockchain enables non-refutable, transparent and auditable business transactions among business partners
- Blockchain can transform oil and gas industry supply chain networks, contracting, joint ventures
- Digital twins
- A digital twin is a digital data representation of a physical object
- Digital twins help producers plan construction, commissioning, and decommissioning work
- Digital twins reduce project cost, risk of accidents and probability of rework
Computing hardware advances
Computing hardware advances increase performance and sometimes reduce the cost of digital transformation applications. They include:
- Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe)
- User-Programmable Solid-State Drives (SSDs)
- Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA)
- Graphics processing units (GPU)
- Programmable Network Interface Cards (NICs)
- Robotics
- Robots are machines that automatically and repeatedly perform work processes
- Robots perform work more consistently than humans
- Robots can work in dangerous and hostile environments such as gas plants
- 3D printing
- 3D printing is additive manufacturing as opposed to subtractive manufacturing
- 3D printing can reduce the cost of parts and components
- 3D printing, despite its slow speed, can improve delivery times for complex components for compressors, pumps and valves
While these technologies are available today, their relative immaturity typically requires a significant business case because of the implementation risks.
Yogi Schulz is an information technology consultant who works extensively in the petroleum industry to select and implement administrative, operations, and geotechnical systems. He writes regular articles about developments in the energy industry and technology.
You can contact Yogi Schulz through his LinkedIn profile at this link.
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