When you hear the words high tech, you probably imagine a smartphone, a driverless car, maybe even a spaceship. Having been in the oil and natural gas business for 36 years, I picture 3D seismic imaging that enables scientists to see miles below the seabed floor; the world’s biggest carbon sequestration project; and precision drilling equipment that enables us to bore holes more than 35,000 feet below sea level and hit a target the size of a baseball home plate. These technological achievements are what make the oil and natural gas business one of the world’s most high-tech industries, and they put us at the forefront of Industry 4.0 – the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Fuel for the energy economy Since the discovery of California’s Kern River oil field in the late 1800s, the industry has used technology to grow supplies and deliver affordable and reliable energy to the world. […]