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OPC UA Defined and How It Impacts Oil & Gas

    headshot_melissa_toppBy Melissa Topp, ICONICS

    Over the past decade, software vendors have used Object-Oriented and Service-Oriented Architectures to design products that are both scalable and reliable. However, these successful architectural models only recently started to be used for the exchange of information in offshore oil and gas production.

    More recently, the ability to collect and analyze exponentially growing sets of data is at an unprecedented level, due to the wide adoption of Big Data. At the same time, mobile devices are transforming the way people interact with the environment, connecting to a tremendous amount of information anytime, anywhere.

    As the scale of Oil and Gas operations increase, managing and extrapolating meaningful relationships from data will only get more complex. In addition, the need for remote access to data and remote collaboration will increase along with the number of widely dispersed assets and mobile workers.

    With mobile solutions now able to connect to OPC UA, BACnet, SNMP, Modbus TCP/IP, Web services and more, there is unlimited potential gain in tapping into the Industrial Internet of Things. With simple connectivity, mobile devices are enabling operators, field service workers, managers, executives and others in the industry to securely visualize oil fields, offshore rigs, pipelines and refineries. Anyone with a mobile device can use best in class apps to remotely monitor assets, instantly access operational key performance indicators and respond to alarms and alerts in real time.

    Slowly, but surely, the industry has adopted real-time monitoring and wireless communication systems, experiencing significant gains in efficiency, safety and cost savings. Recent advances in mobile technology spark change in how quickly the industry adopts and leverages products that software vendors now provide.

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