October 2020
Company Spotlight
Datagration Solutions
For this Company Spotlight, we interviewed the several members of Datagration’s management team about how the company is helping the energy industry solve the issue of disparate data silos hindering organizations’ ability to fully implement advanced analytical tools, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Datagration delivers an easy to implement, open, and collaborative ecosystem of domain-specific platforms that create solutions for E&P organizations by aggregating and integrating data from disparate legacy systems, databases, and unstructured documents into a unified cloud-based or on-premise environment. Combined with advanced AI / ML analytics, Datagration provides organizations with enhanced decision-making opportunities to maximize value creation. For more information on Datagration Solutions, please visit www.datagration.com.
Background: In 2010, after his previous AI application was acquired by Schlumberger in 2004, Michael Stundner (Datagration EVP of Technology) began establishing the PetroVisor platform, as he saw a gap in the integration of data into engineering workflows and processes in the energy industry. The first step in developing the platform was to create an open data aggregation system that could rapidly take data from any source and import it into PetroVisor, which led to building a data mapping wizard capable of combining large, disparate data sets efficiently. Once the data aggregation component was commercialized and adopted by several energy companies globally, the focus expanded to include automated workflows in order to increase productivity. Numerous “off-the-shelf” libraries/applications were developed alongside an easy-to-use scripting language that enables customers to quickly create their own automations. In May 2020, a highly experienced management team purchased the business, rebranded the company as Datagration, and a few months later raised capital to scale the business.
Value Proposition: E&P operators collect vast amounts of data, but they are typically captured and stored in legacy systems, software applications, and databases that are contained in isolated silos depending on the function (i.e. exploration, drilling, completion, production, etc.). When an analysis, whether routine or novel, requires data from multiple sources, the typical process involves manually exporting data from each function into a spreadsheet on an ad hoc basis, and this often burdensome process must be repeated every time the analysis needs to be updated. Datagration’s PetroVisor platform automates this process and utilizes AI / ML analytics to remove human subjectivity, enabling its customers’ employees to have more time to evaluate and implement improvements from analytics rather than spending most of their time gathering and cleaning data. The PetroVisor solution has several advantages over competing offerings, including:
Agnostic and Open Data Architecture: Rather than requiring customers to convert to mandatorily paired tools and applications, Datagration is able to work with any data source, allowing dissimilar systems to integrate into a single database. PetroVisor also offers P#, a fit-for-purpose coding language tailored towards petroleum engineers instead of programmers, which enables all built-in workflow apps to be transparent, auditable, and easily modified to each customers’ unique needs without requiring specially trained programmers or data scientists.
Highly Scalable and Flexible: PetroVisor’s proprietary data mapping wizard enables the platform to be remotely and expeditiously implemented across the entire organization. The firm wide installation of PetroVisor can typically be completed by one to two of the customer’s employees over a few weeks versus utilizing high-cost consultants over months, minimizing implementation costs. PetroVisor links numerous databases together into a scalable and flexible data hub that continuously pulls in real-time data. These links remain in place as databases and workflows are added into or removed from the data hub.
Ease of Integration and Use: Once implemented, PetroVisor’s user interface is highly customizable and the platform is easy to integrate into new systems, ensuring ease of use across the organization. Further, PetroVisor can integrate with Microsoft Teams, enabling users from multiple disciplines to collaborate in a shared environment versus multiple siloed workspaces.
Closing Thoughts: While AI and ML have long been touted as the key to increasing productivity while reducing costs, much of the industry’s focus has been on developing point solutions that solve a narrow problem and ignore the need to standardize how data is treated across organizations. Datagration is focusing on “building the foundation” to implement data standardization, and we are excited to follow their progress.