Discover the latest news, trends and happenings at Well Data Labs
Big Data or Buzzword Bingo?
Published over a month ago, I just had the opportunity to read a fantastic article by Anya Litvak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and thought it was worth sharing. Titled “Shale companies turn to machines to crunch their drilling data,” Anya does a wonderful job of succinctly breaking down both the opportunities and the challenges of working with high-frequency, machine created data in the world of unconventionals. Included in the article are highlights of the work of WVU’s Shahab Mohaghegh, a major SPE contributor and industry data scientist, and the efforts of major E&P’s and service companies like Shell, Range Resources, Southwestern, and Baker Hughes.
What do you think – is ‘Big Data’ an overused buzzword in our industry, or the beginnings of a smarter E&P “corporate brain,” as Neal Dikeman of Shell describes it?
Bridging the IT Divide – Part 1
This is a series of guest posts by author and industry-insider Jim Crompton. Crompton is an Energy Advisor for Rocky Mountain Innosphere and an independent consultant through Reflections Data Consulting LLC.
Houston, we have a problem!
While it makes great material for Dilbert cartoons, the often strained relationship between engineering and business groups with their internal IT departments can be a serious barrier to the adoption of emerging technology. This challenge is more than just a common complaint around the coffee pot at work, but a potential rift that will limit just how successful and efficient both groups can be – and in today’s market, efficiency is king.
Spotlight On: NCS Multistage
The Well Data Labs ‘Spotlight On’ Series takes a look at the technology being deployed on pads across US shale plays. Whether it’s a new service being rolled out by Big Blue or Big Red, or a largely untested solution from a startup – we highlight interesting tech and give you the resources you need to evaluate its usefulness for your own operation. Have something you want highlighted? Shoot us a note at info@welldatalabs.com!
Engineers were born to tinker
No matter the current trading price of WTI crude, one constant in our industry is that there will always be smart people in cubicles, laboratories, and frac vans across the country working tirelessly to find more efficient and effective ways of getting oil out of the ground. One reason to pursue efficiency is the undoubtedly increasing pressure from whomever is paying the bills, but another likely reason is that the people working in this industry are tinkerers and testers; people who say, “there is a better way to do this.” More than just a title, they are in their very nature, engineers.
As someone who talks to petroleum engineers from a variety of operators and service companies every day, many of my favorite conversations begin with a passionate recommendation from an engineer to check out a new solution to a problem. So that is what we are setting out to do with our ‘Spotlight On’ blog series: investigate different company’s ways of solving oilfield problems.
We are kicking off this series by turning the spotlight on a company that has continued to set records and win awards for their ways of solving completions problems: NCS Multistage. read more…
Downturn doldrums: Don’t just survive, thrive.
It’s no secret that our industry has its swings. Layoffs and downsizing worries become a common watercooler refrain in lean times, and few are spared the stress that this causes. $30 oil has a tendency to separate the wheat from the chaff, and the effects aren’t limited to office closures and consolidations. If it hasn’t happened already, you will eventually be put in a position where you have to fight for your current job, or be ready to compete for a new one. read more…
Welcome and Hello
Here in the Well Data Labs office, we regularly talk about how we can build software that helps petroleum engineers be better at their jobs. Our core goal with this blog is exactly the same – to give you, our reader, bite size pieces of quality content that can make you better at the work you are doing on a daily basis.