Benefits to the Use of Mobile Devices for

Training in the Oil and Gas Industry

Michael Deleon

University of Houston Clear Lake

IntroductionDue in part to recent discoveries of large shale

deposits throughout North America, the oil and gas industry has seen enormous growth in both production and job creation in recent years.

Retrieved from: http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?

id=12451

Role of Mobile Devices in Oil and Gas SectorsBecause of this expansion in such a short amount

of time, energy companies are working to find ways to train new employees as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Mobile devices are now being used to provide on-demand training and real-time field data capture.

Retrieved from: http://asmarterplanet.com/mobile-enterprise/blog/2013/11/workplace-transformation-mobile-first-approach.html

Benefits to Mobile Devices in Oil and Gas OperationsImproving operations by giving employees

“anytime-anywhere” access to critical applications.

Interactive and simulation based training for increased retention and insight into subjects.

Quick reference guides in remote areas to supplement knowledge on working of equipment.

Access to secure devices which conform to a mobile management system used across the company.

(“Mobile Training Apps, 2013”)

‘Why Mobility?’ Infographic

“By the year 2015, a whopping $8 billion will be spent on oil and gas apps along with $168 billion on enterprise mobile applications” (Cheng, 2014).

Retrieved from: http://www.chaione.com/infographic-mobilize-the-

oil-gas-enterprise/

Safety Issues in Oil and GasThe need to provide workers with effective, timely,

and accessible training materials is critical.

Retrieved from: http://www.righands.com/news/news-detail/oil-

booms-and-the-costs-578

Examples of Mobile Apps for Oil and Gas IndustryQR codes on “instruction manuals and other documents

which ultimately relay users back to interactive tutorials, case studies and service representatives”.

Climate apps for “Connectivity to weather patterns, seismic activity and other natural occurrences”.

Use of technology known as telemetry – “a highly automated communications process by which measurements are made and other data collected by portable gas monitors and transmitted to centralized receiving equipment for monitoring”.

(Holland, 2013)

Examples of Mobile Apps for Oil and Gas Industry

Google Glass – Schlumberger has even begun to test Google Glass so workers can have “access to data, schematics, maps, or video capture while using both hands for doing actual work” (Ungerleider, 2014).

Retrieved from: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2416488,00.asp

Conclusion

“The oil and gas industry requires flexible and highly effective training delivery options for workers who spend most of their time in the field, not in an office” (Diaz, 2014).

However, developers should never forget the human component to teaching, as well as learning.

It’s not just about creating efficiency, it could even mean the difference between life and death.

References

Cheng, N. (2014). Discover The Benefits of Using Mobile in Oil & Gas Field Operations. Retrieved June 7, 2014, from http://chaione.com/discover-the-benefits-of-using-mobile-in-oil-gas-field-operations/

Diaz, O. (2014). Oil and Gas Industry Training Requires Rich New Technology. Research & Development. Retrieved June 7, 2014, from http://www.rdmag.com/articles/2014/04/oil-and-gas-industry-training-requires-rich-new-technology

Holland, G. (2013). Oil & Gas Mobile Technology: Will there be an App for That? Retrieved June 19, 2014, from http://www.oilgasmonitor.com/oil-gas-mobile-technology-will-there-be-an-app-for-that/5783/

Mobile Training Apps. (2013). Retrieved June 7, 2014, from http://www.petrofieldtraining.com/mobiletrainingapp.html

Ungerleider, N. (2014). The Surprising Reason Oil Companies Love Google Glass. Co.Lab. Retrieved June 7, 2014, from http://www.fastcolabs.com/3031171/the-surprising-reason-oil-companies-love-google-glass