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The Upstream Oil and Gas Industry is working toward asset optimization through various Digital Oil Field of the Future (DOFF) programs. Significant progress has been made over the past few years, but the mission is not complete. The industry is still faced with challenges that inhibit system interoperability and in turn reduce workflow efficiencies. When one considers the software and data integration requirements to achieve the vision of the digital oilfield, one has to wonder if the Upstream Oil and Gas Industry will be able to maintain DOFF progress or if our advancements toward the digital oilfield may begin to plateau before we reach our objective. This paper considers the question "What are the key considerations to achieve the workflow efficiencies envisioned for the digital oilfield and how can we accelerate this process?" The authors probe the answer to this question by reviewing various IT-related standards activities, how they might improve workflow efficiencies, and the need for better coordination across standards development. The discussion will illustrate why the Upstream Oil and Gas Industry struggles with software and data integration. In conclusion, the authors will present thoughts around a path forward which they believe will help realize the industry's aspirations for the digital oilfield.

Approximately $1 trillion in yearly value across the commercial value chain could be created by social technologies according to a July 2012 McKinsey Global Institute analysis i . Believe that? No, we did not think so. The report finds that two-thirds of the potential value can be found in improving collaboration. Within the Oil and Gas industry, we have been chasing and improving on cross-functional collaboration for the past two decades. And, whatever the actual value generation number is associated with social networking technologies, we believe that greater levels of and more timely collaboration can only have a positive impact on production, increased efficiency and more reliable operations. This paper will take a work process view of production operations and consider where, when and how social networking technologies can be a benefit. But a quick and limited Twitter-type of response has its drawback, which also needs to be considered and explored. We will consider what is and is not a beneficial social network and what constitutes a valueadding social network response.The purpose of this paper is to cut through the hype and focus on where, when and how social networking technologies can and will increase production and improve safe and reliable operations. While we do not have a yearly dollar estimate associated with value creation, the same McKinsey Global Institute analysis stated: "Most importantly, we find that social technologies, when used within and across enterprises, have the potential to raise the productivity of the high-skill knowledge workers that are critical to performance and growth in the 21st century by 20 to 25 percent." which we think is a worthy goal regardless of the actual dollar amount.

Over the past decade the rapid evolution of Information Technology has enabled oil companies to much more effectively exploit hydrocarbon reserves than was possible up to now. These technologies all rely on an extensive set of instrumentation and controls. The expected benefits of this novel approach to oilfield management are very high, but can only be harvested by means of an appropriate IT infrastructure and data exchange protocols. PRODML (PRODuction xML) is a proposed data exchange mechanism which will facilitate the integration between software tools that are used in combination to turn raw production data into control actions. PRODML intends to be an industry standard XML-based exchange format for production data. The scope of the first version of PRODML will be determined by what can reliably be delivered in a one year period. This first version will support data exchange between applications in the office domain with emphasis on near-real time optimisation. In this context, near-real time optimisation is defined as optimisation that can be achieved by making changes in the existing production configuration that can be effectuated within one day. The overall approach follows the successful example of the WITSML project, which established a similar set of specifications for the drilling domain. PRODML was initiated jointly by BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell and Statoil in early 2005. The initiative has since been joined by Halliburton, Invensys, OSIsoft, Petex, Schlumberger, Sense-Intellifield, Tietoenator and Weatherford, and is now in the process of developing the standard. POSC has agreed to take over stewardship of the effort once work on the first version has been completed and to foster further developments. The paper represents the work of the entire team. Introduction Many oil companies have begun to exploit the benefits of highly instrumented fields for optimal operation of their assets. This approach relies on much-increased use of data streaming from field to office. Improvements in infrastructure for data handling and a common data exchange format as a ‘lingua franca’ between applications are prerequisites to robust and efficient dataflows. Many of the software tools used to process and monitor the data flowing from the field are provided by a number of independent software companies and service providers. The current commercial landscape is characterised by a relatively large number of companies, each providing a piece of the solution. The majority of these tools do not stand on their own, but require information from other tools. An efficient means of interoperability between these tools is essential. In this commercial setting it is in the interest of both users and providers of tools that a viable open industry standard for a data exchange format be established. Such a standard levels the playing field by assuring some level of compatibility between vendor products, allowing them to focus on delivering innovative, distinguishing functionality. From an operator's perspective the standard will accelerate the delivery of integrated solutions to end-users and decrease the costs of connecting and supporting the various parts. The evolution of the Internet has had a profound impact on the manner in which data is being processed. The technologies, although still developing, have matured over the past years to the extent that they can now be used reliably for routine operations. Internet-based IT architectures are being adopted by most companies and will be incorporated in the PRODML design. PRODML will help oil companies reap the benefits of highly instrumented fields.

Many industries, including the Energy Industry, are leveraging virtual world based technologies to enhance training and situational understanding. The phrase "a picture is worth 1000 words" is implicitly understood because "seeing" helps crystallize concepts making more transparent the ambiguity of the spoken word. Virtual Worlds are 3-D immersive environments, which allow workers to perform tasks and collaborate within a virtual representation of their normal work environment. Virtual world technologies represent a step forward in understanding work process complexities within a collaborative environment providing workers with the ability to be active participants, through their avatars, within a virtual representation of the world in which they work. Achieving operational excellence requires a broad, holistic view of all operational aspects. Current state-of-the-art methodology calls for assembling various data feeds into complex dashboards, which may not bring clarity to operational situations. And, dashboards do little to help one understand the implications associated with various work processes behind the data feeds. While dashboards are a step in the right direction and are certainly better than having to find the information in different isolated systems they still fall short in providing operational awareness for complex multifaceted work processes. This is especially true in our facilities, which are large complex environments. New facilities and major capital projects present their own opportunities. Our challenges are further complicated by our multinational workforce, which does not have a single common first language. Work done at Harvard University has found that virtual world technologies offer advantages in these circumstances for learning. Operational excellence is brought about by operational awareness. Operational awareness is brought about by seeing and interacting with the data within its proper context. This paper will present how virtual reality based technologies can reduce ambiguity and enable contextual operational awareness which helps achieve operational excellence, illustrating that seeing and doing within the work process context increases understanding. The digital oilfield and digital plant can be intelligently exposed with virtual reality technologies.