These technologies are not only linking people with data but linking experts with experts for the ultimate in team-based analysis.

Global demand for energy increases daily, and oil and gas companies know they must

Figure 1. The familiar Windows interface is at the heart of today’s advanced desktop integration and display management systems, allowing users to quickly and easily display data sources and manipulate windows. (Photo courtesy of Barco)
develop ways to make the most of resources, human skillsets and time in this high-pressure environment. More exploration in known reserves and potential new sources means that data is being collected at unprecedented rates and must be analyzed both rapidly and accurately. The traditional department and workflow structures are long gone, and now more importance is placed on cross-functional teams working together in real time. Most importantly in a globalized industry, geographical divides must not get in the way of efficient company collaboration and decision-making.

Technology suppliers to the petroleum industry must respond to these pressures by offering new and better ways for asset teams to work with data collaboratively. For visualization companies, this means offering oil and gas experts the ability to look at multiple sources of data simultaneously for the ultimate in cross-analysis and comparison. Whether the content is visualized in a stereo 3-D or non-stereo format, the detail should be so great that viewers feel they are actually immersed within the data, that there is no hindrance to truly understanding complex information in a visual way.

Furthermore, visualization technology must aim to improve collaboration so that the different levels of expertise — geologists, geophysicists, pipeline engineers, drilling engineers and project managers — are linked efficiently to share datasets, consult and resolve problems faster. Multiple teams should be able to visualize and manipulate this information in real time, even if they are working in different offices or different countries.

Leading the way in the race for ultimate collaboration is “desktop integration” technology. This visualization solution allows organizations to seamlessly integrate and project various
Figure 2. Barco’s desktop-integrated iCon projectors have been deployed in Shell E&P asset team rooms at key European locations, enabling collaborative workflows across multiple locations. (Photo courtesy of Shell)
data sets and video sources simultaneously in multiple windows on high-resolution display walls. Powered by embedded PCs running the familiar Windows desktop, this breakthrough technology can be easily integrated into the corporate computing environment and connected to the network, allowing information-sharing between remote sites. Presented here are some recent case studies which show how some of the world’s leading oil and gas organizations have been updating their visual systems to a desktop-integrated approach to maximize output and improve workflow.

Desktop integration in action
Shell’s Exploration and Production teams in Europe are located in such diverse locations as The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Norway and Italy. The company needed a way to link these geographically distributed teams together for effective real-time collaboration and to analyze geophysical data in a high-resolution display setting.

To do this, Shell equipped its European Virtual Reality and Visualization Centers with a comprehensive visualization solution consisting of large flat and curved-screen 3-D virtual environments for large group immersive viewing. To enhance collaboration, Shell implemented a geographically distributed network of desktop integrated projectors with advanced imaging capabilities. These interconnected projectors have been deployed in the asset team rooms in Aberdeen, Assen, Stavanger and Rome, enabling collaborative workflows across multiple locations. Equipped with network cards and integrated into Shell’s AV/IT (audio video/information technology) network infrastructure, the network-centric projectors allow team members to quickly and easily access data located anywhere on the network and display it on the screen.

In these asset team rooms, exploration and production data sources from various locations
Figure 3. With Barco’s XDS-1000, users at Shell’s ACE VR Center can view and analyze multiple high-resolution stereo and non-stereo sources at once for efficient cross-analysis and comparison. (Photo courtesy of Shell)
are displayed in high resolution in multiple windows on large display screens. Team members can view a wide range of data simultaneously such as seismic data, worksheets, live video and other information to uncover and develop oil and gas reserves. These systems function in the same way as a user workstation, with a familiar Windows interface and mouse and keyboard control. While collaborating, E&P experts can drag, minimize and resize windows to clarify geocharacteristic details, and important presentation lay-outs can be saved and recalled for later use.

“Thanks to much higher image quality sharing across all locations, our geoscientists and engineers can operate more efficiently,” said Mike Boyle, subsurface integration consultant for Shell Exploration & Production in Europe. “The sharper the image, the better the discussion will be and the more accurately the users can detect and develop oil and gas fields.”

Taking 3-D to the next dimension
The team at Shell’s ACE VR (advanced computing environment virtual reality) Centre in Lutong (Sarawak, Malaysia) had a more specific requirement: to be able to see highly detailed stereo and mono images together on a single, large curved screen. Different experts within the team wanted to display their own datasets next to others, creating a collaborative discussion from varied viewpoints.

Their needs were met with a revolutionary display management system that drives a multi-channel projector setup. The display management system includes a built-in PC server with advanced networking capabilities, desktop integration functionality and the facility to process multiple input sources simultaneously. Via the familiar Windows GUI (graphical user interfaced), geoscientists and engineers easily manipulate a mix of 3-D stereo and non-stereo data from various sources such as workstations, laptops, networks, video conferencing and DVD at the same time. Because the sources are identified by simple screen icons and can be easily accessed by using a mouse and keyboard, high-level meetings can run smoothly and efficiently.

“The ACE VR center allows us to display software used by the subsurface and surface community; projecting both Linux and Windows platforms on the same screen gives a better perspective and a real sense of scale,” said Anura Dason, seismic interpreter. Added Andrew Chan, seismic interpreter and exploration geologist, “The power of the ACE room lies in its ability to show the technical work in full transparency to all the relevant teams, allowing them to make informed decisions based on collective judgment and resulting in fully integrated planning.”

Multiple channels, one seamless image The US Minerals Management Service (MMS), an
Figure 4. Barco’s Galaxy NH-12 is the next level in desktop integration display systems. It’s an all-in-one solution with multi-view mono and 3-D imaging, bright light output (12,000 lumens), 1080p HD resolution and warping capabilities for projection on non-flat surfaces. (Photo courtesy of Barco)
agency in the US Department of the Interior, manages the nation’s energy and mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). With much production and exploration activity in this region, the MMS in New Orleans, La., needed a multipurpose visualization environment to better exploit the quantity and quality of data to help maximize its resource analysis efforts.

The MMS chose to equip its new facility with a large display wall for virtual collaboration, analysis and decision-making along with a presentation display area. The large display wall incorporates a pair of blended 3-D stereo projectors driven by a sophisticated display management system with built-in PC server and desktop integration. The system allows MMS geoscientists to view a mix of 3-D stereo and non-stereo data from various sources simultaneously on the large canvas.

The multi-view, large-display format enables MMS geoscientists to work as a team to visualize and interact with high-resolution geophysical data. This way, they can efficiently locate hydrocarbon reserves, eliminate discrepancies and improve the quality of evaluations.
The visualization room also includes a projection system equipped with desktop integration capabilities for presentation purposes. This system provides the multi-source, multi- windowing capabilities for dynamic and intuitive presentations. A Windows interface and mouse and keyboard control provides the MMS staff with the same intuitive user interface as the above-mentioned display management system.

Today MMS has a world-class visualization facility with highly efficient tools to dramatically increase productivity, enhance knowledge sharing and improve bottom-line results.

What’s next?
The next generation of visualization technology aims to implement additional desktop functionality and deliver more performance. Projectors are getting brighter, contrast is getting higher and pixels are getting denser, so images can be represented with greater detail. Desktop integration functionality will be pushed to the limit so that all the sources shown on the screen — from workstations to laptops to network and video sources — will be razor-sharp and ultra-realistic.

Technological developments for the oil and gas industries should also keep cost pressures in mind. Projectors with desktop integration technology and operated by mouse and keyboard offer a lower total cost of ownership. There is no need to buy remote controls or matrix switchers. In addition, premier projection systems are offering a sealed optical engine, liquid cooling and long lamp life, keeping maintenance costs low. With these cost-saving improvements taking place across the visualization industry, even the most resource- conscious oil and gas organization has the opportunity to update their facilities with the very best display technology and collaboration tools.