Facilities, especially those in the oilfield industry, encounter numerous challenges when it comes to solving oilfield crimes in the upstream oil and gas industry.
Challenge
Facilities, especially those in the oilfield industry, encounter numerous challenges when it comes to solving oilfield crimes in the upstream oil and gas industry. This particular challenge can prove to be a major issue, given that a significant number of oilfield-related crimes – around 90% or more – involve the use of vehicles. Because these facilities are often located in remote areas, where security concerns are heightened and response times are longer, precise capture and documentation of vehicle details and license plates is crucial for clients. In addition to occurring in remote areas, oilfield facilities typically cover extensive geographical areas, making it challenging to deploy an adequate number of cameras to cover and monitor every possible point of entry or exit.
Everon was approached by a customer facing challenges with oilfield theft and frustration with limitations of traditional surveillance systems. They wanted a partner that understood their problem and had a solution. This scenario emphasizes the critical role that integrators with industry expertise, coupled with modern technologies and tailored surveillance systems play in reducing security risks in dynamic environments such as oilfield. The customer looked to Everon to implement a solution to effectively record specific vehicle details on camera, and to protect a wide array of assets that were spread over a vast, largely remote location.
Solution
Our expert professionals at Everon began exploring various technologies to determine how to best capture critical vehicle details while on their premises. Our team initially considered implementing a number of solutions, including traditional, networked surveillance systems. However, it became clear after multiple discussions with the client that this strategy did not adequately solve the fundamental problem. The primary issue was rooted in the fact that the client had too many assets spread out over an extensive area, making traditional solutions with limited coverage not worth the investment (they were too expensive and not flexible enough – couldn’t be moved, didn’t capture license plates, etc.). The existing surveillance system was also not capturing license plates accurately – a key requirement given the prevalence of vehicle-related crimes in the upstream oil and gas industry.
Our team landed on a solar-powered license-plate recognition solution that focuses on capturing necessary vehicle details and transmit the data over a cellular connection. The solution is wireless and accommodates for the remoteness and distributed nature of upstream oil and gas assets. This approach addresses the challenges experienced at facilities that are dispersed across broad areas, ensuring that the surveillance systems in place are effective in protecting the entire facility space. Our team has a deep understanding of the industry. Not only did we locate the appropriate hardware, but we also grasped the strategic placement of that hardware to optimize effectiveness while maintaining cost efficiency for the solution.
Installing surveillance units at upstream oil and gas assets provided the customer with immediate benefits, including:
- Easy installation requiring minimal time and tools for expert installers to complete
- High-quality license plate readers enabled by forensic search capabilities across camera feeds
- "Infrastructureless" units are easily relocatable, operating on solar power and cellular signal
- Cost-effect solution for deploying multiple units on a premises
- Units can integrate with local law enforcement databases empowering them to proactively address crimes without direct client involvement
- Constant updates leveraging user feedback to enhance system performance
Results
Following installation, the introduction of this solution resulted in greatly increased visibility of vehicles entering the client’s oilfield leases. With the data, the client was able to correlate presence of specific vehicles on lease during security incidents across multiple locations, which provided actionable information to support investigation to help solve oilfield crime. This technology proved effective in helping the client to directly handle emerging threats, was rapidly deployable, cost-effective, and is capable of producing high-quality forensic evidence to support criminal investigations of incidents.
“Area oil and gas operators were attempting to identify actors actively involved in criminal activity to support law enforcement in their investigations. Photographs or video without identifying information reduced the possibility of an arrest and prosecution in those incidents,” the client said.
“This offered a mobile solution that instantly captures license plates with timestamped photographs of those actors actively involved in criminal offenses,” the client continued. The solution requires a small footprint which can easily go unnoticed by would-be intruders.
Everon even provided the client with the opportunity to demo the unit, which allowed them to evaluate the solution’s value and provide feedback on its functionality. The immediate benefits observed led to the deployment of these systems to address difficulties experienced across the oilfield – with Everon so sure of the technology’s effectiveness that the organization was willing to provide a 30-day free trial on the solution.
With this measured, innovative approach that accounted for the client’s budget, pain points, and limitations, Everon successfully addressed a challenge that no others could solve, and it proved to be highly effective at a lower cost. The use cases for this technology are extensive, serving as valuable components within security programs for remote locations, such as oilfields and other similar environments.
Remote Video Surveillance Solutions
Discover how Everon remote video surveillance solutions can help secure your jobsites, distribution centers, parking lots, and remote or unmanned locations with units that do not require a traditional power source or network connection.