Technology Is Only Half the Story – 1/10/2026
Why Adoption Still Matters More Than Innovation
Looking toward 2026, oil and gas finds itself in a familiar position. The technology available to improve safety and efficiency has never been stronger. The question is no longer what tools exist. It is whether we are prepared to use them consistently when schedules tighten and pressure returns.
The industry does not suffer from a lack of technology. If anything, it is overwhelmed by it. New platforms, dashboards, sensors, analytics engines, and automation tools continue to arrive faster than most field organizations can absorb. Yet despite this constant innovation, the same operational failures continue to surface year after year.
Casey Thames – Pipeline Operator’s View
From an operator perspective, technology rarely fails because it does not work. It fails because it never fully makes it into the daily workflow. A solution is approved, piloted, and sometimes even praised. Then production pressure returns, schedules tighten, and teams quietly revert to familiar habits.
Damage prevention is a prime example. Predictive analytics can identify high risk tickets. GPS enabled locating can place marks with precision. Electronic white lining can remove ambiguity before excavation begins. All of these tools exist and all of them work. Yet many organizations still treat them as optional enhancements instead of standard operating requirements.
Adoption stalls for predictable reasons. Field teams are not shown how the tool helps them personally. Supervisors are not held accountable for usage. Metrics focus on speed instead of quality. Over time, technology becomes something that lives on a slide deck instead of in the trench.
One of the clearest examples of this shift is the Texas811 Risk Assessment service which is quickly becoming the backbone of risk based locating in Texas. Instead of treating every ticket with the same priority the Risk Assessment model assigns a predictive risk score based on excavation type, historical damages, repeat excavator behavior, ticket anomalies, and utility congestion. Texas811 reports that operators applying predictive analytics to one call notifications have seen up to 50 percent reductions in damages when combined with intervention and oversight programs.
For operators managing hundreds of weekly tickets the impact is immediate. Risk scoring layers directly into GIS and dispatch systems and reveals clusters of high risk activity before boots hit the ground. High ranking tickets naturally rise to the top of the queue which allows supervisors to send limited locator or inspector bandwidth to the areas where the real exposure exists rather than where it is assumed.
When operators merge Risk Assessment data with internal records such as AOCs, leak history, congested corridors, aging infrastructure, corrosion control trends, or known problem contractors the model becomes a true predictive engine instead of a simple filter.
The same evolution is happening with centimeter accurate GPS locating and electronic white lining. In certain basins and on specific capital projects the workflow is seamless. Contractors submit a precise digital polygon, operators overlay as builts, and marks go down exactly where they belong. In other regions the workflow still relies on phone descriptions and paper plats.
The contrast is obvious. When both sides commit to a shared digital process that includes GPS accuracy, precise white lining, and predictive risk scoring the friction in the system almost disappears and mis locates drop sharply.
Daniel Radabaugh – Contractor’s View
When technology is fully integrated into the workflow, the impact is clear. Digital white lining reduces rework and locator callbacks. GPS accurate marks remove uncertainty and limit over-excavation. Risk flagged tickets influence how work is sequenced and where experienced crews are assigned. Jobs start with clearer information, decisions are made earlier, and crews spend less time recovering from preventable issues. The gain is not speed. It is stability.
Contractors do not push back on tools that make work safer and more predictable. They push back on mixed signals. A system that is “recommended” but not required will not survive production pressure. When timelines compress, crews default to whatever is enforced. Without clear requirements, training, and follow-through, even effective tools become optional in practice.
Adoption improves when operators are consistent across projects and regions. When expectations are the same job to job, training sticks and field behavior stabilizes. Supervisors know what compliance looks like. Crews stop asking whether a tool applies and start assuming it does. Consistency turns technology into part of the operating model rather than a variable.
When tools are fully adopted the difference is obvious. Clear digital white lining reduces rework. Accurate GPS marks eliminate guesswork. Risk flagged tickets change how crews plan their day. Jobs start cleaner and end calmer.
Contractors do not resist technology that makes their work safer and more predictable. What they struggle with is partial implementation. A tool that is optional is often ignored. A tool that is required explained and enforced quickly becomes part of the culture.
Damage Prevention as the Case Study
Damage prevention sits at the intersection of technology and behavior. It involves multiple parties competing schedules and high consequences for small mistakes. That makes it the perfect lens to study adoption failure.
The industry already knows what reduces damages. The challenge is not innovation. The challenge is discipline. Adoption requires leadership that is willing to slow down just enough to ensure the tools are actually being used the way they were intended.
When adoption succeeds the results show up quickly. Fewer emergency tickets. Fewer remark requests. Fewer near misses. More trust between operators contractors and locators.
Where Industry Conversations Fit
One of the reasons adoption struggles is that failures are rarely discussed openly. Success stories are shared. Missteps are not. Field realities get filtered before they reach leadership.
That gap is why industry wide conversations still matter. Honest discussions about what worked what failed and why adoption stalled are how lessons truly transfer.
OGGN has long provided space for broader technology conversations across oil and gas through platforms like the Digital Doers podcast. From Casey Thames: As I step into the role of host the intent remains unchanged. The show will continue to explore how technology is applied in real operations across the industry. While damage prevention may occasionally appear where it naturally overlaps the focus stays on technology adoption and execution at scale.
Closing Thoughts
Technology moves fast. Culture moves slower. Safety outcomes depend on which one leaders choose to prioritize.
Innovation gets attention. Adoption gets results. The industry does not need more tools sitting on the shelf. It needs fewer tools used consistently and well.
We are still in the same trench. The question is not whether better technology exists. The question is whether we are willing to commit to using it the same way every day on every job without exception.
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Casey Thames – Board of Directors – Damage Prevention Council – caseythames@gmail.com