DIGITIZATION AND HOW IT AFFECTS OUR WORK by @ zhacchaeus

zhacchaeus (47)in Steem Ghana • 2 years ago (edited)

Digitization

The conversion of data or information often during a tangible or analog form into to digital or binary format. for instance, taking scanning of a photograph as an example the info on the photograph isn't changed but rather it’s simply encoded in a digital format. Digitization for that matter is extremely essential in our everyday lives.

Adoption and Development of Digital Technology within The Oil and Gas Industry

A recent article points out how digital technology is rising exponentially within the oil and gas sector. From seismic imaging to e-learning, 80% of senior executives within the industry believe digital advancements have revolutionized how they work. The remaining 20% believe digital technology has had a tangible impact. regardless of who you ask, it’s evident the adoption is positively affecting the oil and gas industry in an affirmative way.

However, with companies using digital technology throughout the exploratory and production processes, sharing the information creates a much bigger challenge.

All too often, company headquarters aren't based where the exploration is occurring or where production occurs; yet, the info must make its way back to a central location (often a corporation headquarters) for analysis. The digital technology getting used in oil and gas will only create larger file sizes as time goes by, meaning the quantity of data to be transferred will continue to grow. Transmitting this information to head office or a central location initiates a replacement and maybe unforeseen challenge for oil and gas companies, particularly for those using satellite, 3G, or 4G connections in remote areas.

Traditional file transfer methods, like email and FTP, have limits on file sizes and are hindered by impairments like latency and packet loss. File Catalyst, automates and maximizes bandwidth connections on all satellite, 3G, 4G, WAN, and Internet connections, up to 10 Gbps, removing the need for human interaction to transfer files. The communication and data channels are secured with military-grade encryption and transfer speeds are up to thousands of times faster than these traditional methods. This transfer speed can make an enormous difference when time and accuracy are of the essence.

With the adoption of digital technology by the oil and gas industry, there are some unique challenges to be met. The fast, secure, and reliable transfer of huge sets of data from remote locations requires specialized software. Selecting an appropriate accelerated and managed file transfer solution should be a top priority for organizations within the oil and gas space.

How Digitization Has Affected Work

The latest trends in digital transformation acknowledge how customers expect to interact with technology, but also how people work, and connect with their work environments.

In many respects, you'll say that digital transformation exposes more possibilities for both workers and their employers. For instance, without the help of digital technology, how would the various companies now offering remote-based work operate?

In other applications, digital technology is being used to:

Keep in touch with and measure sentiment among employees. IBM may be a great example, measuring sentiment across a worldwide workforce of 380,000 employees. They did this via their own internal social media platform, Connections.

Engage more fully with customers. For instance, companies can gather feedback, conduct marketing research and test out new products more easily than ever. Digital technology means we now use more channels to interact, instead of traditional mediums like telephone or letters.

Automate many job functions, even some customer interactions. For instance, the utilization of bots and AI with its machine learning technology has become more prevalent. this will allow companies to become more efficient where the machine can respond more quickly than a person's operator. it's also meant that they will focus human tasks on the items that are most vital for them to be doing.

Create intelligent processes which make it possible to streamline and make decisions very quickly.

Digital technology enables companies to check pricing very quickly and efficiently, then make any changes even as quickly.

How Digitization Will Affect Your Future as a Petroleum Engineer

Digitization and automation processes, used well, can account for enormous efficiencies and increases in productive operations - through faster data gathering, problem solving, reduced downtime and increased production from a digital oilfield.

Advancements, like multi-well pad drilling, multiple fracture stages, and improved well and pipe design, have already boosted drilling efficiencies significantly. Producers are also using fewer rigs to extract more oil and gas in less time, which keeps costs down.