Can you feel it?

You’re humming, aren’t you?

In all seriousness, as oil and gas finds its feet in this new normal there is - excuse the pun - an energy about this industry generated, I believe, by innovation.

Innovation and research and development (R&D) are central to our business at Return To Scene, we are incredibly excited about the forthcoming SPE ENGenious event and to have been given the opportunity to present at the Chamber’s opening business breakfast.

Rewind two years and it was with a certain level of frustration at the pace of innovation uptake in oil and gas, I wrote a blog for the Chamber entitled “What drives our leaps of technology’?” In this I quoted OGIC’s chief executive, Ian Phillips, who described the industry as one “where no one wants to be the first to trial innovation and where procurement processes can be a major stumbling block to deploying new technology in the field.”

In the ensuing 23 months things have changed. Technology is front and centre. Drivers to speed R&D cycles have been established and input from other industries is encouraged. Operators are actively seeking out pioneering solutions to their challenges and creating greater agility in procurement.

Digitalising, enabling technologies, the digital workforce, smart facilities etc. are terms that have entered our daily vocabulary.

There is a palpable buzz. We are not just witnessing innovation, but are sitting amidst a unique hub of technological development, expertise and experience that has incredible value for our industry both here in the North Sea and globally.

There are signs that mainstream interest in oil and gas and how the industry actually works has been rekindled too. In recent weeks, Shell’s immersive 360° tour of its Shearwater asset was pipped to the post by Spirit’s Google Street View access to its Cygnus platform; with great hype surrounding the technology behind these virtual visits.

For Return To Scene this technology is nothing new, we’ve been conducting 360° digital surveys and delivering interactive photogrammetric walk throughs of our clients assets here in the North Sea and globally for over a decade. By providing access to layers of data through this visual front end, we’ve been credited with saving our clients tens of millions ($) and hundreds of man hours.

Our business is just one example of those at the cutting edge based right here in NE Scotland. Through my team’s collaboration and engagement with our clients, emerging technology providers, academia and industry bodies, we’ve seen first-hand the potential this region has to offer.

Can you feel it?

It is with great excitement that I look forward to sharing, not what we’ve done so far but our latest developments; in particular R2S AR and showing how augmented and mixed reality technology can reap tangible benefits today.

Return to Scene is exhibiting at SPE ENGenious from September 6 – 4 at the AECC. Visit Bob and the team on stand B01.