Greater transparency in the oil & gas industry is necessary to support accountability and reduce inefficiencies on-site. To avoid misperceptions and reduce local tensions, enacting more transparent processes enhances relations between stakeholders, and boosts trust between other companies and governing bodies. It is for these reasons that transparency must be enacted as a “best practice” within the industry to decrease levels of reputational risk. However, it has become increasingly challenging to achieve this without the ability for every end of an organization to track progress and review documentation without actually being on-site. Luckily, DroneDeploy’s ease-of-use enables oil & gas professionals full utilization of the software to better team communication, site connectivity, and project documentation, thus allowing drone technology to become the oil & gas industry’s new sole source of truth.
DroneDeploy: A Secure & Robust Communication Network
By utilizing DroneDeploy’s technology, oil & gas companies’ communication matures at exponential rates. DroneDeploy’s infrastructure enables a secure and robust communication network, which empowers quick detection and management of issues at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. Because the oil & gas industry requires operators to communicate with workers worldwide, it can be challenging for those working at headquarters to attempt to collaborate with workers on the ground. But with workers flying drones on-site and immediately uploading the data online to a much more shareable sphere - i.e., the cloud - all industry ends can coordinate further inspection with remote workers from anywhere. This upstream production transformation allows for better accuracy, believability, and thus a more truthful system in which everyone can see whether compliance is maintained, protocols are followed, and risks are mitigated.
Team connectivity is also bettered through DroneDeploy at the hands of an increase in communication maturation. Our mission is to make the skies open and accessible to everyone by unifying the commercial drone industry under one roof. We can exponentially improve team connectivity by connecting everyone within the oil & gas industry - from managers, to on-the-ground employees, and finally those at headquarters with powerful tools to integrate aerial data into day-to-day operations.
Transparent Data Collection & Documentation
Drone technology brings transparent data collection from project start to finish. For example, offshore and onshore oil & gas operations can utilize drones to gain an aerial view for inspection, enabling early detection of structural damages. In addition, surveying and monitoring remote areas using drone technology has become integral to the industry; drones can fly extremely close to structures, allowing them to capture high-definition images and videos for operators, enabling proper assessment and planning for repair or maintenance work.
The oil and gas industry is estimated to spend around $50 billion a year globally to monitor pipelines that run up to nearly 10 million kilometers. While these traditional methods are expensive and inefficient, drone technology aims to make operations safer and more cost-efficient. In addition, the operational efficiency of drones and inherent speed and mobility allow for improved surveillance and quick response while also eliminating the need to deploy human resources in remote and hazardous locations. DroneDeploy thus increases connectivity and gives those involved in the industry a more accurate depiction of their offshore drilling.
Advanced Imaging & Map Processing
Additionally, the data that DroneDeploy gathers can be used for advanced processing, helping to pinpoint favorable drilling sites, speed up site surveys for new locations, and document the entire construction process with elevation maps, models, videos, and panoramas. Furthermore, one can maintain up-to-date within their system of record using DroneDeploy’s out-of-the-box Esri integration, conduct asset inspections remotely with automated data collection for maps, 3D models, and vertical structure, and finally collaborate with teammates using annotations and measurements to ensure issues are closed out, and assets are compliant with regulations. DroneDeploy’s enhanced functionality allows the industry to gather the most accurate analytics and enables a more truthful process in which transparency throughout is highly evident.
Through utilizing DroneDeploy’s technology, oil & gas companies can better their communication, team connectivity, and documentation processes. While the industry is still highly analog, our goal is to increase transparency via a single source of truth. Centralizing documentation for cross-functional teams is an excellent first step in doing so. If you’re interested in utilizing drone software for your oil & gas operations, watch our webinar on getting started, or contact us.