Shell, based in Calgary, Canada, drilled a new well in an area 10,000 kilometers away from Argentina's VacaMuerta gas field. In fact, the oil giant's engineers are using computers to perform so-called "virtual drilling". Alberta, this is a place called FoxGreek shale, remarkably similar geological characteristics of Argentina's largest shale deposit, based on the understanding of it, engineers use back from VacaMuerta transmission of real-time data to design the well, and test the drilling speed and pressure, on the second attempt, virtual drilling costs by $15 million to $5.4 million a few years ago. Shell's chief executive, van burden, said it was shell's lowest cost of drilling in Argentina.

Shell is not the only company that employs computer experts and geologists. At a time of low oil prices, oil companies are trying to reduce operating costs. The oil industry has come to realize that digitisation and automation have transformed business and manufacturing, but left it far behind. Technology companies and consultancies start knocking out the idea of a "digital oil rig" and "future oilfields". Some believe that the use of digital technology will be the next big thing after the shale revolution that transformed the us oil and gas industry a decade ago.

The process of extracting oil and gas is generally regarded as the most mature phase of digital and automation. The drill usually happens a few miles below the surface of the earth, causing the drill and pipeline to be too easily damaged and broken to run in the long run. Recently, baker hughes developed what he called the first automated bit, which can be adjusted based on the nature of the rock. McKinsey says robots are also being developed to solve development problems.

On the face of it, digital drilling is committed to reducing the number of workers and factories and improving the safety of hazardous industries. In the gulf of Mexico, engineers in Houston used real-time data from the rig to make decisions to reduce the cost of helicopter drilling RIGS. Emerson electric PeterZornio said that the ultimate goal of digital is the data transmitted to the expert, not to send data, expert instruction research motivation is that people in the future and the helicopter can leave the rig.

Large-scale use of data, sensors and automation will bring new challenges to the oil and gas industry. Oil RIGS are critical infrastructure, so be aware of cyber security and prevent theft of data. At the same time, digital can replace the ageing workforce, which is a looming problem.

As for the oil industry will labor in the digital age of mass reduction, geologists and engineers agreed that they would not have lost his job, digital because oil production is a science, also an art. Since the "shale revolution", innovation has made oil and gas more accessible, and the era of oil being seen as a scarce resource has gone.