Field Service News & Technology Roundup is our blog series, where we feature the latest interesting field service and technology insights impacting field service organizations.
Back from a whirlwind April and event-filled May, we make a departure from the normal one-month recap and find it necessary to recap the last two months news and technology that made headlines.
At least for us, April and May were both GIS-focused months. From the many articles we read to our participation at the Esri Petroleum GIS Conference in Houston, everything came back to spatial intelligence. Of course, there were other hot topics like data and trends in the oil & gas services sector.
Read on for the top news and technology that caught our attention.
Top Tech Trends in Oil and Gas for 2019
Source: Accenture Blog, no longer available
Author: Rabinarayan Mishra, Senior Manager, focusing on digital data analytics solutions for the energy industry
While technically this article was not published in April, we heard it was circling the oilfields and executive offices of some of the largest oil & gas services providers. Once we read it, we understood why.
The article should be named Four Tech Trends for Strategic Growth in the Oil & Gas Sector, 2019, since it focuses on exactly that. Naming aside, it’s refreshing to see “cloud-first strategy” come up in reference to technology helping to move businesses ahead in this particular industry.
I won’t give away all four trends, but I’ll take a moment to comment on the fact this is not the only article we’ve read over the year that mentions digital twin technology adoption on the rise.
Don’t be dissuaded by the title. We highly found this article will be very useful for other asset-intensive industries.
GIS is the Perfect Safety Net
Source: Energy Central
Author: Bill Meehan, Director, Utility Solutions at Esri
If you read the introduction to this month’s Field Service News & Technology Roundup, you know we found April and May to be all about GIS around the Field Squared office.
The Energy Central article by Bill Meehan is an informative, yet cautionary tale, that walks through how to identify and mend safety holes in the fabric of a service businesses safety policies or practices.
Similar to the first article in this month’s Roundup, the article is relevant to any service business.
Explore the full article for the full story.
Data Collection and Analysis In Field Service
Source: Field Technologies Online
Author: Bruce Breeden, President, Field Service Resources, LLC
Field Technologies Online article from field service expert Bruce Breeden quickly caught our attention for the same reason it may catch yours: data.
We couldn’t help but think about a world without data. Then, we tried picturing building a high-performance mobile field workforce without it and we felt the walls closing in. Think Star Wars: A New Hope trash compactor scene and you’ll be where we were.
Back on solid ground, we found it particularly interesting how Breedan refers to data (and new technology) as the “design element to change service delivery process.”
This article is worth reading, especially where your field data collection processes could use a refresh. Read it here.
How to Build a Powerhouse Mobile Field Workforce
Source: Field Squared Blog
Author: Mark Percy, VP of Technology at Field Squared
If you follow Field Squared on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook, you know we release regular blog posts. In preparation for the busy Summer of field service work, we penned the blog, How to Build a Mobile Field Workforce.
The post includes details on how to increase efficiency by leveraging pre-populated fields. Some of our customers work order forms are 80% filled out when the technician begins the job because of this functionality.
If you haven’t, check out the full blog post.
The 6 D’s Changing the Electric Utility Industry
Source: T&D World Magazine
Author: Mark Johnson, Managing Director, T&D World Magazine and Utility Analytics Institute
It would be fantastic if everything were sunshine and rainbows in the electric utility world, or where any field service business operates, but that’s not reality.
Here, T&D World’s Mark Johnson breaks down the “6 D’s” that present challenges or opportunities in the industry. Of the D’s in the list, we found the third to be timely.
Take a few minutes to explore the article.
Benchmarking The Changing Face of Field Service
Source: Field Service News
Author: Becky Johnson, Content Director at WBR
Some of the best news we read comes out of Field Service News and this article takes the cake for May.
In, Benchmarking the Changing Face of Field Service, Becky Johnson of WBR lists out 3 trends affecting field service and mobile workforce management. The trends she mentions are those we see with increasing frequency across other publications.
We found the first trend to be of particular importance today, as it describes diversity playing a role in the future of field service. The quote that stuck with us was, “Service must also diversify so the next generation of bright minds can see themselves working in the sector.”
Read Benchmarking the Changing Face of Field Service for the top 3 trends you need to know.
7 Best Uses of GIS Data for Field Service and Asset Management
Source: Field Squared Blog
Author: Mark Percy, VP of Technology at Field Squared
Our last must-read featured article comes from yours truly. Our blog post brings this month’s Field Service New & Technology Roundup full circle to the theme of GIS in, 7 Best Uses of GIS Data for Field Service and Asset Management.
The post is just as it sounds, where we share our take on some of the best uses of GIS data. This comes from years of experience working with our field service customers.
From thematic mapping to heat maps, the post is filled with quick, digestible tips. So, check it out and let us know what you think.
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Image Source: Unsplash by Keith Misner