Enterprise-class Virtual Environments Interoperability for the Upstream Industry―Promise or Peril

The exploration and production (E&P) enterprise is undergoing a tectonic shift within its<br>information and communication technology (ICT) ecosystem. E&P companies need to better<br>utilize their existing assets, increase their resource portfolios and bridge the looming<br>knowledge gaps. In particular, the E&P Industry needs to take an active role in defining and<br>supporting open and free standards that integrate disparate data sources into enterprise-class,<br>secure Virtual Worlds. This paper briefly discusses emerging ICT research and innovation<br>around of Virtual Worlds into Virtual Environments. There is an evolution from today’s<br>classical interaction and display paradigm to the fully-integrated global enterprise using the<br>3-D Internet.