The subsea environment is exceptionally vast, uniquely uncharted and especially unpredictable. The system of systems that create a subsea field can only be developed once each of these challenging environmental factors is explored. 

Christmas trees, manifolds, pumps, pipelines and umbilicals are distributed across vast swathes of the seabed; their interconnection and individual integrity are both critical. 

Each asset plays a specific, foundational role, but their positions relative to one another are equally fundamental, so accurate geospatial data is key. Giving operators real-world context of where each asset sits, how they connect and how conditions change over time. It’s absolutely central to effective subsea operations, and will only become more so as we move into deeper and more complex areas.

Mistakes in design, planning or integrity management can cost millions in project delays, unexpected downtime, repairs or potential environmental penalties. With facilities spread across miles of seabed, accurate geospatial context isn’t an option; it’s the foundation for safe, efficient and profitable operations. 

The case for context

From exploration and site selection, all the way to decommissioning; geospatial context and analysis is a critical part of a commercially successful, environmentally sound and ultimately safe operation. 

• It helps to map the seabed to identify oil and gas reservoirs and detect surface expressions of hydrocarbons to optimize facility plans.
• It informs decisions on optimal drilling sites, pipeline routing and hazard mapping to reduce drilling risk.
• It provides context for where each asset sits, how they connect and their integrity over time to minimize future realignment.
• It enables operators to track movement as pipelines shift, seabeds change, and foreign objects appear to avoid unplanned downtimes.
• It helps to map and monitor decommissioned infrastructure so legacy sites can be managed safely and leveraged for potential asset repurposing. 

Without clear geospatial context, it’s impossible to accurately assess risks, plan interventions, or understand asset integrity across the field. Geospatial data needs to form a key part of a project’s digital thread from the very earliest stages in the lifecycle.

As an example, in one operator’s portfolio, improving pipeline routing around existing brownfield infrastructure using geospatial analytics avoided an estimated $50 million in unnecessary installation costs.

The importance of interoperability

We all know the importance of geospatial context, and I imagine most of us are at least somewhat aware of the role that new technologies, better data structures and machine learning models can play in improving the accuracy and efficiency of it.

But there’s a challenge. A fundamental operational hurdle that we as an industry need to overcome to extract the most value from these opportunities. And that’s the deeper data structure. 

Collectively, we need to move towards better alignment around terminology for how we describe what each asset is and how it’s tagged. Different stakeholders - operators, EPCs, digital teams and business leaders - need to share the same ‘data language’. And ideally, we need to do so across businesses. Without a common data language, projects suffer delays, duplicated effort and increased risk. Engineers spend hours reconciling formats instead of making decisions, delaying schedules and adding cost.

At FutureOn, we talk a lot about the need to break down silos. And mostly, we mean this within the context of one project or one organization. But, for the sake of dragging the sector up to speed, this means industry-wide as well.

We’re not talking about sharing IP, of course. But we do need to be more proactive in our approach to collaboration. The challenge is that each operator often defines their own schema and unique way of structuring and labeling data. If everyone genuinely collaborated, there would be consistent tagging, consistent subsea data structures, clear labeling and ideally, a truly open standard. That would make it far easier for one operator to work seamlessly with another. FieldTwin helps close this gap by embedding consistent tagging, clear labeling and supporting emerging standards across the industry.

We’ve done a lot of work to build standards that enable and encourage true interoperability. Some standards are beginning to emerge, and we’re proud to have helped shape them from within FutureOn. But the reality is FieldTwin itself acts as a data platform: every object within it has its own defined dataset.

Subsea environments will only become more complex and the datasets we have access to will only become more detailed, as new sources emerge from physical assets like ROVs and AUVs becoming more intelligent. 

When it comes to embarking on this new level of collaboration and having our industry start speaking the same data language, we need to act now. Working to create clear, clean standards and datasets that will be able to scale with increasingly vast volumes of information.

The tools and technologies

Tools like FieldTwin embed geospatial awareness early in the design phase, combining real-time data, predictive analytics and spatial context to support remote operations and safeguard asset value.

Embedding such tools early is key, helping to maintain a single, secure digital environment that supports remote operations, optimizes long-term integrity management and ultimately protects assets in challenging, changeable deepwater environments

Let’s take a look at how we do that.

We use standard coordinate systems and coordinate reference frameworks, typically easting and northing coordinates, so that everything is mapped much like it would be in a high-end GIS platform. These familiar GIS methods allow us to locate subsea assets with precision. But while the positioning of assets may follow standard conventions, the complexity ramps up quickly when you consider the specifics of each item; what it is, what it does and which data it generates.

GIS standards make it clear where something is but not necessarily what it is. And that’s where the real challenge lies: defining and structuring asset metadata consistently across teams and systems.

By integrating geospatial positioning with structured digital asset data we can create digital twins; miniature digital representations of every piece of equipment on the seabed. This precision mapping is more than technical accuracy; it avoids misalignment that can lead to costly installation errors, redesigns or rework offshore.

This creates a transparent connected network where every stakeholder has real-time visibility into each asset’s integrity, its relationship to other assets and any interventions needed. The result is faster decision-making, reduced downtime, and safer, more efficient operations. Tools like FieldTwin are helping push this network approach forward by supporting emerging standards and encouraging consistent tagging and clear labeling for true interoperability.

The geospatial dream

The ideal result is complete transparency and alignment. Regardless of a project's complexity or the number of partners involved, everyone will know what’s where, what it’s doing and what needs to happen next.

Predictive tools will turn data into actionable insights; informing anomaly detection and integrity management in real time, and creating a virtuous feedback loop of data and insight. Ongoing maintenance will be tightly controlled, closely managed and exceptionally well-informed; unplanned downtime will be minimized and project safety will be buoyed - all the way into decommissioning and beyond.

Without reliable geospatial context, none of this is possible. Operators who close the interoperability gap will cut unplanned downtime, accelerate project schedules and extend asset life. Those who don’t risk being left behind in a more data-driven, collaborative industry. The technologies are continuously and rapidly evolving to make this complex, constantly shifting task less overwhelming; together, we can put them to the best possible use.

It’s time to align around geospatial standards and digital platforms that turn complexity into clarity. At FutureOn, we’re helping operators make this shift today.