Enhancing Oil & Gas Operations with AR-Powered Remote Support
Oil and gas companies know too well the challenges of communications and front-line support in harsh environments over vast distances. As well as exploring for and extracting these resources in remote locations, they transport product over huge distances from the well to the refinery, and from the refinery to the end-user.
Reliable communication and remote support solutions are absolutely essential in these operations, especially on pipelines and with maintenance crews. Pipelines are particularly important because by their nature they avoid population centres and stretch through out-of-the-way locations. Any equipment failure leads to unplanned downtime, affecting productivity and profitability. In the case of pipelines, a failure could also mean a leak, resulting in environmental damage, costly cleanup efforts, and reputational risks.
It's critical that experts in pipeline maintenance (and other operations) can communicate effectively with front-line staff to ensure proper equipment inspections and upgrades, and to respond quickly when there’s a problem.
The Scale of the Challenge
We’re convinced AR-powered remote support can benefit all heavy industry, and this would include exploration, production, and refining operations in the oil and gas sector. But one area we want to highlight is pipelines because remote support solutions are perfect for addressing the challenges facing these assets.
The distances covered by these networks are astonishing. Kinder Morgan, for example, owns or operates 83,000 miles (134,000 km) of pipelines and also operates 143 terminals. In Canada, Enbridge’s natural gas pipeline system is over 23,000 miles long, and its crude oil pipeline system is well above 17,000 miles long.
These meandering sprawls of pipeline often span multiple states or provinces. In Europe, it’s common for them to traverse different countries. These jurisdictions have varying regulations. Crews are responsible for hundreds of miles of infrastructure, making it difficult – no, near impossible – to position the right expert on-site for every issue that occurs.
Complicating matters further is the issue of “equipment diversity”. Some of the piping infrastructure is old, some more modern. There are often different cross-connection points, storage sites, pumps, and other infrastructure, much of it manufactured by different OEMs. This all requires specialized knowledge, and an expert in the operation of a storage site won’t necessarily be able to help with a problem with a cross-connection point.
Operators face challenges as they deal with pipelines extending beyond state borders or disparate sections that are the responsibility of different crews. They have to deal with a huge number of variables, like the availability of equipment shared among various teams.
One final note about the scale of the challenge is that speed is absolutely crucial when problems arise. If oil is leaking, a crew needs to get on it NOW, even if they are hundreds of miles from the problem area. And they may need to communicate with experts immediately, even if they are in another part of the world.
The Problem with Traditional Support
Seasoned experts are critical in the maintenance, inspection and repair of oil and gas pipelines. As we mentioned, this is infrastructure that including some aging components, so looking after it requires knowledge of both modern and legacy systems. These veterans with decades of experience are rare commodities in any organization and can’t be expected to get to every point in a 50,000-mile pipeline network.
Of course, it’s always great to have specialists travel to where they’re needed, but this is easier said than done. Pipelines typically run through remote areas, far from population centers, and often cross regions with limited transportation access. Getting an expert on-site is time-consuming and costly. Field managers frequently travel long distances to support teams, leading to delays in critical decision-making.
Phone support offers a limited solution but comes with clear drawbacks. Field workers need their hands free to perform tasks safely and efficiently, and verbal instructions alone can lead to miscommunication, especially when the expert can’t see what’s happening on-site. Laptops, while useful in an office setting, can be cumbersome and impractical for field operations.
A more effective solution is needed, one that eliminates the barriers of distance, enhances communication, and empowers frontline workers to access expert support in real time.
How AR Remote Support Solves These Issues
Remote worker solutions, such as smart glasses and augmented or mixed reality headsets, are transforming frontline operations. These tools enable real-time, first-person collaboration between on-site crews and remote experts. By sharing a live view of the equipment, remote specialists can pinpoint issues, provide step-by-step guidance, and ensure accurate repairs without being physically present. Beyond live communication, AR headsets allow workers to access essential resources hands-free. PDFs, technical drawings, and other documentation can be overlaid in their field of vision, ensuring they have the right information exactly when and where they need it. The immediate benefits are significant: reduced downtime, lower travel costs, and faster response times, all of which contribute to increased operational efficiency. Field crews no longer have to wait hours or even days for an expert to arrive. Instead, they can connect instantly, troubleshoot issues in real time, and minimize delays that could lead to costly repairs or even environmental damage.
The long-term impact is just as powerful. AR-powered remote support solutions are key components in the development of a digital workforce within multinational companies. If an expert flies to a remote site, completes a task, and flies out, the only person retaining knowledge of the task is that expert from head office.
Instead of knowledge remaining siloed with a handful of specialists, it’s transferred directly to field teams. Workers gain hands-on experience guided by seasoned experts, ensuring they develop critical skills while on the job. Over time, they build a knowledge base they can draw from, whether it’s recalling previous troubleshooting steps or accessing digital reference materials in their line of sight.
By integrating AR-powered remote support, organizations create a more connected, efficient, and capable workforce, one that’s prepared to handle complex challenges while minimizing costs and risks.
A Field Manager’s Perspective
To truly understand the impact of AR-driven support solutions, let’s consider how they enhance productivity in the field. Energy companies manage vast pipeline networks spanning hundreds of thousands of miles. These systems include countless cross-connection points, storage sites, pumps, and other infrastructure, some aging yet still in operation. Maintaining these assets efficiently requires immediate access to expertise, yet field managers often struggle to be everywhere at once.
Take the case of a Field Manager responsible for multiple crews, each consisting of two to four members, spread across different sites daily. Traditionally, supporting these teams meant spending hours, sometimes entire days, traveling between locations to provide guidance and oversight. This travel heavy approach often leads to delays in troubleshooting, decision-making, and maintenance, impacting both productivity and operational costs.
With AR remote support, this challenge is eliminated. The Field Manager can now assist multiple crews simultaneously, no matter where they are. Using a platform like RemoteSpark, they can provide real-time, first-person guidance as if they were standing on-site, without ever leaving their office or operations center.
The benefits go beyond faster issue resolution, optimized maintenance, and minimized downtime. It also transforms the Field Manager’s work-life balance. Instead of spending long hours in transit, they can focus on strategic decision-making, team leadership, and driving operational excellence without sacrificing personal time. Less travel means less stress, fewer disruptions, and more time for what truly matters, both professionally and personally.
The impact is clear: faster problem-solving, reduced travel costs, and optimized resource utilization. AR remote support has become a game-changer for repair, maintenance, and overhaul operations. As organizations recognize these benefits, many are now standardizing AR-enabled smart glasses as essential field worker tools ensuring their teams stay connected, efficient, and equipped with the expertise they need.
The Bottom Line
By their very nature, oil and gas development, refining, and delivery involve difficult work in remote locations. Communication with and support of frontline workers is essential in a competitive industry. We live in an era in which seasoned experts are retiring, and industrious frontline workers can be hard to find. The most successful companies will be those that know how to maximize their workforce and train their best workers.
AR-powered remote support is becoming best practice for ensuring front-line workers are productive and feel fulfilled. It can help field managers work with multiple crews across hundreds of miles and help the members of those crews develop their work skills. It impacts the bottom line.
Don’t wait until inefficiencies cost you time and money, equip your workforce with AR-powered remote support and get started today.
An Introduction to RemoteSpark
Optimize your field operations, reduce downtime, and empower your workforce with AR-powered remote support. With real-time expert guidance, hands-free access to critical information, and reduced travel costs, your teams can work smarter, faster, and more efficiently, no matter where they are.