| | SEPTEMBER 20218CIOReviewIN MY OPINIONWhen thinking about #DigitalTransformation for the energy industry, one might question its genesis--where did it all begin? What is its current state, and what might we envision as its future?Determining the exact time when it all began might be a challenge. Still, many of us would agree that three multinational energy companies--Shell, BP, and Chevron--shared a vision for what we now know as the #DigitalTransformation of the energy industry.Let's travel back in time to the late 90's when these three `majors' articulated their digital programs by giving birth to the smart field, which took on different monikers--the `field of the future,' the `digital oil field' or DOF, and `intelligent fields' or IFs. Witnessing the technological advances these past few decades has been fascinating, to say the least, along with experiencing first-hand the challenges these smart fields have encountered. I believe it is incumbent upon us, as practitioners in this digital age, to step in, contribute and co-create the future of this #DigitalTransformation.Three decades of hard work, ingenuity, and technological advances have resulted in a kind of layered foundation for intelligent systems; automation, process optimization, and preventive maintenance. These are key enablers for any digital oil field. Defining the DOF's current state for the energy industry is challenging. It is anything but static, and it evolves continuously, especially when viewed from an asset or company perspective.These days, some companies have moved on to developing their fields using semi-automated rigs. Others operate some of their production facilities remotely, still wondering about the economic merits of embracing the #DigitalTransformation agenda. Today, we can find "pockets" of early examples of DOF across the industry. However, one would be hard-pressed to find one company, much less an entire industry, that can claim a holistic deployment of a DOF-enabled strategy and operational philosophy. Before moving on to describing what the future of the DOF might look like, we can benefit from pausing and reflecting on some key learning from the past few decades. Listing the mall would fill an entire book, including case studies to better understand the root causes and consequences of adopting one technology or design over another. Instead, #DIGITALTRANSFORMATION IN THE ENERGY INDUSTRY--PAST, PRESENT, AND THE FORSEEABLE FUTUREBy Leo Pirela, SVP for Portfolios and Operations, WorleyLeo Pirela
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