There’s no question that data-driven technology has enabled companies in every kind of industry to improve what they offer and how they can best optimize operations. For example, if you were a retail company, you could use sales data to see what is selling, who is buying, and when they are buying it. This can help a retailer made adjustments to offer the customer what he or she wants, which will improve the retailer’s bottom line.

In a recent talk at the Leaders in Industry luncheon in Houston held by the Independent Petroleum Association of America and the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association, a CEO of an E&P company discussed the importance of using data-driven technology to analyze what is going on  in a well to make decisions that optimize drilling and reduce overall waste and costs.

Data-driven technology is constantly improving, and real-time reports can now be accessed on one’s mobile device. Data visualization and analytics software can provide a detailed picture of a mining area and enable leadership to evaluate operations and new acquisitions. As drilling technology has allowed E&P companies to significantly improve the number of barrels of oil produced per rig, data-driven technology can help an E&P company optimize operations as well.

As one of the premier proppants suppliers in all of Texas, Vista Sand recently expanded to three mines and is constantly updating its technology to improve logistics. Vista Sand is well-known for its Texas Premium White frac sand, which possesses the highest crush strength of any sand produced in Texas.  Vista Sand’s CEO and its leadership team understand that data-driven technology will be a major component of the proppants industry as well.

Vista Sand was recently featured on ForConstructionPros.com for its use of a drone to complete a number of applications designed to enhance efficiency, gain more information about its site, and lower overall costs. There’s no question that Vista Sand is on the cutting edge of the silica sand and frac sand industry. Its Texas Premium White™ is well-regarded because it possesses the highest crush strength in the industry. Vista Sand is currently expanding its mining footprint in north and into west Texas to meet increased demand from the oil and gas industry..  Vista Sand also provides industrial sand for a number of commercial projects.

From the CEO of Vista Sand down, Vista Sand is dedicated to implementing new technologies to enhance operations and worker safety. Engineers discovered that the company’s fixed-wing UAV could be used to fly programmed missions over Vista Sand’s entire 800-acre facility in as little as fifteen minutes. It could then analyze raw data to be used for various processes in about four hours. The company also estimates that it could generate data maps from the raw data in eight hours or less and receive full-site aerial photography in a day.

The drone is able to provide the Vista Sand production management and sales team with a better illustration of the facility and stockpile volumes so they can come up with better decisions and make adjustments to planning, using real-time data.  According to those asked in the article about the drone and how it has improved day-to-day operations at Vista Sand, many days start with conferring over recent aerial photographs to make decisions. The drone has helped with everything from deciding where to put a pile to planning roads to accessing those stockpiles. Drones negate the need to take time off to survey the area.  We highly encourage you to read the article and learn more about how drone technology is transforming Vista Sand here.