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GEO 2020
Embracing the Fourth Industrial
Revolution Hisham Zubari, GEO 2020 chairman, shares what’s in store at GEO 2020 and what lies ahead for the industry. INCE ITS INCEPTION in 1994, the GEO conference and exhibition has grown to become one of the major geosciences events in the region and beyond, providing a platform for knowledge sharing, exchange and dissemination as well as an opportunity to interact with major upstream companies, service providers and academia. GEO 2020 will address a new theme – ‘Geosciences in the Digital World: 2020 and Beyond’. The theme reflects the committees’ strongest belief that the advancement in the new cloud technologies, analytics, the ‘Internet of Things,’ artificial intelligence, Big Data Analytics, automation, and machine learning will provide geoscientists with powerful tools and opportunities in dealing with complex data to come up with better decisions with respect to optimising production and maximising reserves. The theme addresses the value-added role which the Fourth Industrial Revolution is going to play in the geosciences area. The upstream industry in general and geosciences, in particular, are yet to catch up with the rest of the world when it comes to integrating 4IR into the business. Research the web for the top successful and value-adding AI applications in the world and you will find healthcare, automobile, retail and agriculture and many others, but not geosciences. However, AI in E&P will catch up big time because of the limitless potential ideas for applications. In the oil industry, we have already seen security drones patrolling oilfields, and will soon see sophisticated drones equipped with thermal sensors and methane detectors that can roam oilfields or even dive under the sea to detect oil and gas leaks and notify maintenance teams immediately, minimising losses and protecting humans and environment. Drones equipped with hypersensitive cameras will be able to identify changing vegetation and soil colour around pipelines in a time-lapse mode to signal immediate response. Geosciences will take a bit longer to ride 4.0 due to the complexity of the business. Dealing with huge volumes of data collected through sensors such as micro-seismic, fibre-optics and logging will bring new challenges and unexpected opportunities. A main challenge we see for the industry is to effectively ride the 4.0 train. AI has proven to increase efficiency and lower cost and provide better health, safety and environment in the upstream sector. GEO 2020 will help explore and identify opportunities it provides for geoscientists to contribute to that. We believe that advancements in disruptive technologies in many sectors all over the world will have a positive impact on the field of geosciences. Cross-pollination of ideas between sectors will bring about fascinating solutions and concepts. GEO 2020 will showcase technical presentations as well as AI-focused plenary sessions and will host a good number of AI companies in the accompanying exhibition. GEO 2020 will have a whole new look. In addition to the
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Hisham Zubari, GEO 2020 chairman and senior advisor to H.E. the Bahrain Minister of Oil, Shaikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.
conventional themes, GEO 2020 will address the role of AI in geosciences, the role of geosciences in the field of mineralogy, hydrology and delivering sustainable energy to the world such as through geothermal energy. This year we have a dedicated session on geosciences applications in fields other than fossil fuels. In total, GEO 2020 will host more than 400 presentations in 48 sessions and posters in addition to six plenary and special sessions addressing important themes and topics. GEO 2020 will host more than 100 specialised companies from 20 countries, from major NOCs and IOCs to manufacturers, technology providers, service companies and others. It will attract more than 5,000 visitors, providing great business opportunities. Furthermore, GEO 2020 will for the first time, provide a ‘business incubators’ area for startup companies in the fields of geosciences. n
GEO 2020 takes place from 16-19 March at the Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre, Bahrain. For further information visit the website at www.geo-expo.com.
