Much has been made about the coming great crew change and the loss of a generation worth of knowledge and experience. But this age of technology has blessed (or cursed) us with another dilemma, how do we consume the vast amounts of technology generated in the field? Data is captured in various forms across the enterprise that when properly visualized together, can present a clear picture of what is going on to users around the globe. The problem is our current applications and visualization technologies do not have the ability to represent the many layers of data available to the user.
The answer may be found in how the next generation has leveraged Social Networking to stay in contact with the various people that come into their lives. In the past, people relied on face to face, over the phone, and written communication to keep in touch with those around them. The problem with this is as your circle of friends increases, you are faced with gathering and sifting through more and more information so you can stay up to date. Social Networking helps to solve this by creating an environment where users can “Manage by Exception” their relationships with people in their networks. I can log into my favorite Social Networking site and quickly skim through the events that my friends are posting on the site. I may not care about the former classmate whose four year old is finally potty trained, but my former teammate who posts a rumor about a classmate’s police blotter may catch my eye. Social Networking sites allow me to query back and to investigate all the glorious details and my queries and his responses are captured for all that come after me to see.
How does this apply in Oil and Gas? I wonder, can we take this phenomena and apply it to the data we see in our daily lives? Rather than start my day by flipping through charts and graphs showing daily production from my wells, can I see a single page where my wells and fields tell me the highlights of their day yesterday? Ahh, well A-3’s production has dropped and well head pressure has risen significantly. I then search and see my buddy Matt had similar issues in the past with A-3. I can see the actions he took and even instant message with him to get his opinions.
How do you feel about applying social networking into the workplace this way? Or is it just this generation’s Cabbage Patch kid, leg warmers, and Member’s Only jacket. Any comments you have would be appreciated.
My Applications
Forum