AIS R2S - Mosaic

For over a decade we’ve worked with R2S to build their remote digital twin technology. Now on its fourth version and named R2S Mosaic, it has over 3,000 users and is in use by hundreds of organisations.

Digital twin solution that makes all the (multi-million dollar) difference

From the United States to the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS) - remote digital twin technology developed in Aberdeen that started out life as a forensic tool for police forces at home and abroad, has grown into a powerful way for oil and gas operators to manage their complex assets and operations.

James Fisher Asset Information Services (JF AIS) digital twin platform R2S allows users to quickly and accurately inspect or pinpoint areas for repair or maintenance without even stepping onto a helideck: reducing trips offshore and freeing up valuable bed space.

And for one of the Aberdeen-based company’s clients, this meant a saving of US$10 million on a single project.

Plus, a global supermajor saved 80% of a project team’s time using the system, and another saved US$7.6 million annually by training and familiarising apprentices using R2S.

Background

For over a decade, Codify have been the software engineers behind R2S - delivering regular updates, a major rewrite and providing ongoing support for JF AIS and their customers.

High-quality photogrammetry captures 360 degree images that combine with the software to create digital walkthroughs of environments, from offshore platforms to crime scenes.

With over 3,000 users, including those from 130 organisations and institutions, and more than 100 assets captured worldwide, R2S is now on its fourth version, named R2S Mosaic. And we continue to work on regular updates and improvements to cater for ever-increasing image sizes, storage needs and system capabilities.

Approach

Based on the same principles as previous versions, R2S Mosaic includes a number of new features designed to make the process of inspection, repair and maintenance even easier, quicker and more accurate.

The main focus was the drive towards automation, as well as improvements in performance, the search function and how data is processed for rendering on screen.

For example, hotspots and equipment tags can now be placed automatically - significantly reducing visualisation build time and minimising the chance of errors creeping in. And the search function has been improved, so users can find information they need to do their job easier and more quickly.

There’s now the facility to overlay renders on original 3D drawings to compare the design with what’s on-site, while users can now also open R2S Mosaic in any internet browser and navigate through it on a read-only basis.

Another important addition is its ability to link to external systems and pull information from multiple sources including photographs, laser scan surveys, drone footage, 3D models and reports, all so users have an even better understanding of the asset.

Setting the standard

Beyond what users see, we automated the way the system processes information so R2S Mosaic imports sphericals even faster than before, despite the original images having grown significantly in size.

To illustrate, in 2010, images captured in R2S were typically around 20 megapixels; by 2016 when we launched R2S Mosaic, this had grown to 83MP. Now, it’s around 133MP.

This asset processor, which deals with information in parallel in batches, runs on a user’s machine, or securely on Microsoft Azure which means it can be scaled accordingly.

Martin MacRae, Technical Director, from client JF AIS said: “Delivering on time and on budget for clients is crucial, particularly for commercial products like ours in critical markets like oil and gas, marine, and renewables.

“We set our standards high, and that’s why we used Codify. We were impressed by the quality of the work, as well as the team’s knowledge and attention to detail.”