How Real-Time Data and Digital Twins Drive Successful Execution

In today’s upstream environment, success in drilling, completion, well intervention, and P&A operations depends increasingly on the effective use of real-time data. While data acquisition through sensors and surface systems has long been part of oilfield practice, the next leap forward lies in how that data is shared, analyzed, and acted upon.

The convergence of cloud collaboration, AI-driven analytics, and digital twins is redefining operational execution — turning raw measurements into actionable insight, improving safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

What is Real-Time Data in Well Operations?

Real-time data refers to continuous measurements captured from surface and downhole sensors — such as pressure, temperature, torque, flow rates, or energy consumption — and transmitted instantly to decision-makers.

These data streams make it possible to detect anomalies, predict risks, and adapt operations dynamically.

Common examples of deviations managed through real-time data include:

• Unexpected downhole conditions (e.g., formation damage or debris)

• Equipment malfunctions or performance degradation

• Variations in mud weight, pump efficiency, or pressure regimes

When structured and visualized in a shared cloud-based environment, this information provides a single source of truth for all stakeholders — from offshore operators to onshore engineers.

Read more: How to Automatically Track and Report all Activities and NPT Events for Wireline Jobs

Decision-Making in a Real-Time Environment

In traditional operations, decisions often move slowly up the chain of command, involving multiple disciplines, reviews, and approvals. This delay can lead to inefficiencies, downtime, and increased NPT.

By contrast, real-time data platforms enable immediate insight and collaboration across locations and teams:

• Onshore subject matter experts can supervise multiple wells simultaneously

• Offshore crews receive direct guidance based on live parameters

• Automated workflows flag deviations and suggest responses

• Managers gain visibility into operational KPIs in real time

This transforms problem-solving from reactive to proactive, with decisions made faster, based on a common, verified data set.

The Traditional Approach – And Its Limitations

While data collection has always been a part of oil and gas operations, data accessibility and consistency have long been challenges. Raw data alone is rarely useful; it needs context, filtering, and structured interpretation.

Historically, fragmented systems and manual reporting led to:

• Lost or duplicated data

• Delayed analysis and slow response times

• Misinterpretation or inconsistent reporting

Even well-intentioned workflows struggled to align decision-makers around a shared, accurate picture of what was happening. The result: inefficiency, higher OPEX, and unnecessary risk.

The modern answer is integrated, collaborative software that ensures everyone sees the same structured view, enabling smarter, faster, and safer decisions.

Read more: How to Optimise Well Completion with a Collaborative Software Solution

Historical Data – and the Rise of the Digital Twin

Historical data remains critical for planning and de-risking, but in 2025 it plays a far more dynamic role. When combined with real-time streams, digital twins can simulate current and future performance, supporting predictive maintenance and scenario testing.

A digital twin is a virtual model of a physical asset or process, such as a well, field, or rig, continuously updated with live data. This enables teams to:

• Simulate “what-if” scenarios before taking action

• Predict failures or performance thresholds

• Optimize production and equipment utilization

According to EY’s Digital Twins in Energy report (2025), over 50% of oil and gas operators now use digital twin technology in at least one operational domain.

The global digital twin market for energy surpassed USD 1.2 billion in 2024, growing at over 11% CAGR through 2034, according to Global Market Insights (2025). 

Read more: What are the Benefits of a Totally Integrated Digital Planning and Execution package?

How Real-Time Data Delivers Value

1. Efficiency and Cost Reduction

Real-time data enables teams to detect and resolve issues before they escalate. Continuous visibility into drilling and completion parameters allows for instant optimization of weight on bit, rate of penetration, and hydraulic performance.

By making decisions based on live information rather than delayed reports, operators can significantly reduce non-productive time (NPT) and improve asset utilization. Predictive maintenance becomes easier, helping avoid equipment downtime and unnecessary mobilization of resources offshore.

The result is faster execution, lower operational costs, and a shorter well delivery timeline, all achieved without compromising safety or quality.

2. Sustainability and Emissions Control

Better insight into equipment behavior leads directly to more sustainable operations. When surface systems and downhole tools are monitored continuously, their operating time and load can be adjusted precisely to meet current needs.

This helps reduce energy and fuel consumption, minimize chemical usage, and extend the lifespan of mechanical components. Over time, such data-driven adjustments contribute to both lower OPEX and reduced emissions, aligning operational efficiency with environmental goals.

3. Risk Management and Decision Quality

In complex well operations, risk is often tied to uncertainty and incomplete information. Real-time data provides a single, accurate view of the situation, shared across offshore crews, onshore experts, and management.

Automated alerts and visual dashboards ensure deviations are identified quickly, while contextualized data supports better root-cause analysis. This approach improves not only the speed of decision-making but also its quality, enabling more confident, proactive, and transparent operations.

Conclusion

The effective use of real-time data, combined with AI analytics and digital twin technology, is no longer a differentiator but a necessity for modern well operations. It strengthens decision quality, reduces operational risk, cuts emissions, and drives OPEX efficiency across the entire well lifecycle.

By ensuring all stakeholders access the same contextualized, live information, organizations can move from reactive management to data-driven execution — achieving more with less, faster, and safer.

Key Takeaways

• Real-time data turns continuous sensor inputs into actionable insights that improve both safety and efficiency.

• Cloud-based collaboration ensures every stakeholder works from the same live information, reducing delays and miscommunication.

• Digital twins combine real-time and historical data to predict performance, identify risks early, and improve future planning.

• Predictive maintenance and early anomaly detection help cut non-productive time (NPT) and extend equipment lifespan.

• Data-driven optimization supports lower fuel and chemical consumption, reducing emissions and operational costs.

• Unified decision-making environments replace fragmented workflows, enabling faster, more confident responses to changing conditions.