September 14, 2022

289 - How 3D Data Transforms Oil and Gas Asset Management and Reliability

31 minutes

"If we can remove people from the site to work virtually, there's a huge [safety] benefit to that."

"The challenges with terrestrial laser scanning are the huge terabytes files that are generated, and the expertise and the cost of the hardware. The advance of low cost 360, cameras, and the software to do photochromatic data processing of that data to create your virtual tours, but something we can do very quickly with a hardhat and a camera that's $1,000."

"We’re talking about digital twin technology—taking reality capture and BIM and physics based engineering, to start to understand and to replicate these processes in a virtual environment before we do them in the real environment. And there's some unbelievable cost savings here."

"The safest job site is the one that you don't visit."

In this episode, I’m in conversation with Kelly Watt who is the CEO of VisualPlan.net. The world of three dimensional data (or 3D) has absolutely transformed over the past several years because of cloud computing (to store and process data), and inexpensive data collection tools (LIDAR, 360 degree cameras, and others). This data enables businesses to virtualise many aspects of operations that are still reliant on people-based processes (such as travel to site). The amount of value at stake is measured in the billions of dollars. Kelly sets out the use cases that oil and gas businesses are now poised to capture.

Kelly Watt is the CEO of Visual Plan, and a specialist with 3D lidar, photogrammetry, video imaging, and analysis technologies. He is also a level 1 thermographer with experience in spectral imaging and reliability testing.

Kelly is an SME on 3d technologies working in the past for 2 of the largest manufacturers FARO Technologies and Trimble Navigation. He is currently an instructor at Mohawk College, which is a major engineering school outside of Toronto Canada, teaching digital twins – fundamentals, techniques, and approaches which is a course he developed. He also supported the creation and currently supports the digital twin program at GA Tech Master of Construction Management.

Kelly is focused on providing efficient utilization of 3D visualization for critical infrastructure and campus-wide implementations of digital twin technology through lifecycle digital integration in oil and gas, power, utilities, transportation, and complex infrastructure. He has extensive experience in the 3D documentation for risk assessment, security design, construction, project oversight, asset management, and reliability management programs working with large engineering firms.