Drones taking on important roles in oil and gas operations

Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, are becoming integral to the oil and gas industry due to their increasing usability across the value chain to drive operational efficiency, reports GlobalData. The company’s latest thematic report, ‘Drones in Oil & Gas – Thematic Research’, states that drone adoption in the oil and gas industry was initially used for strategic deployments such as remote monitoring and surveillance of assets during regular operations, as well as emergency situations. The report highlights that recent advancements in sensing and imaging technologies are enabling drones to be deployed in a wide range of settings to carry out predictive maintenance of critical infrastructure. Drone manufacturers are also collaborating with oil and gas companies to develop custom drone platforms that can be equipped with different types of data collection technologies for obtaining real-time insights.