“Developing AI-enabled technology that helps customers automate their day-to-day on-site activities and to keep their assets, people and businesses safe and compliant is the main focus for Twenty20 Solutions.”
Experts estimate that the cost of equipment theft from oil and gas sites in the USA alone to be over $1 billion. High-value oil and gas equipment are prime targets for theft, primarily due to the remote nature and lack of physical security and access control at most sites. From drilling sites and pipelines to saltwater disposal facilities and storage yards, operational assets are often scattered over hundreds or even thousands of miles, with limited resources to address security or maintenance challenges in a cost-effective manner. At the same time, keeping employees safe and productive can be challenging due to the remote locations of most sites.
Companies with operations in remote locations need a way to monitor and automate their equipment and assets on the ground. With few or sometimes no employees on site, they have next to no insight into the performance, security, and maintenance of these remote operations. This creates an increased risk of unidentified equipment errors, process failures and maintenance issues, all of which lead to expensive repairs, dangerous conditions and loss of productivity and revenue. In some cases, operations may use traditional SCADA systems but these are faced with the limited capabilities and bandwidth they offer. Today, oil and gas sites require intelligent, robust and proactive security systems.
Security and automation solutions from Twenty20 Solutions allow customers to monitor and act upon security, access and maintenance issues in real-time before a loss or breakdown occurs. Twenty20 addresses business needs and risks regardless of where their operations are located, with or without electricity or cellular connectivity. The Twenty20 suite of solutions is designed to extend the reach of customers’ teams and give them the real-time data they need to make informed business decisions without the need to be on-site. Those solutions include video surveillance, access control, equipment and systems automation, and virtual remote monitoring. The goals of all of the solutions are to minimize risk, prevent theft, enable customers to enforce safety compliance, ensure the overall safety of their employees and maintain uninterrupted facility operations to provide efficiently and cost-effective production.
Monitoring and Reacting to Threats
Security and automation solutions from Twenty20 Solutions allow customers to monitor and react to threats and maintenance issues in real-time before a loss or breakdown occurs. Twenty20’s AI-enabled cloud-based platform is the foundation of all of their solutions. The platform enables customers to view live footage of one or hundreds of their sites – in a single, integrated system – from any mobile device or computer. Customers can monitor their sites from thousands of miles away to ensure their operations are running efficiently and their assets are secure. The technology monitors sites by identifying and classifying objects, people, animals and vehicles, providing exception-based data to make real-time assessments and decisions with regard to security breaches, safety procedures, maintenance needs and more to minimize costly downtime and loss on-site due to theft, vandalism or operational issues.
The AI-enabled automation solutions open up a whole new world of monitoring and automation at locations where it’s needed most, for optimum visibility and control of the facilities located hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Advanced machine learning algorithms are key to the solution, and can be trained and customized for unique environments based on inputs like detection zones, camera angles, equipment, people, PPE and more. The system learns from its experiences much like the human brain, which over time ensures enhanced efficiency in identifying security threats by decreasing the occurrence of false alarms. It also gives customers a single, integrated view into all of their security, access and automation operations at their remote sites and gives real-time visibility and control of these functions. Customers can see what is happening at a single site or hundreds of locations in a single system with a single pane of glass view.
All footage is stored in the cloud or can be stored on a hard drive on a local device. Customers can view all information from their operations in real-time through an integrated web-based dashboard, providing accurate intelligence via any web-enabled device. The benefits of the company’s technology and platform include:
- An additional layer of prevention by tying identifying photos and video to incorrect or unauthorized keypad entries by managing surveillance and access control systems in the same platform;
- Two-way communication allowing control of all operations, including pumps, remotely – changes are immediately updated on site;
- Automated safety settings resulting in decreased risk of leaks and spills;
- Electronic ticketing system for drop-off facilities which reduces driver time on site increases the accuracy of the information, and automates invoicing and regulatory report processing;
- Surveillance and access control, adding to increased security against theft and environmental safety issues;
- Customizable alerts sent via text or email, giving immediate visibility to urgent issues even when no one is on site.
The user’s in-house security personnel can actively monitor locations, respond to system-generated events and alerts, or let the Twenty20 Manned Monitoring Center (MMC) provide support for the client and their team. This unified perspective weaves together all monitoring and management capabilities for unprecedented synergies in the control of your remote facilities. Twenty20 radar surveillance enables enhanced motion detection not available with video security alone. Ideal for large infrastructure areas such as storage yards, radar surveillance provides comprehensive coverage with minimal equipment and can be used as a stand-alone system or as a supplement to video surveillance solutions.
Customer Success Story
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Critical Infrastructure list includes the US electric power generation segment. As a part of this segment of critical infrastructure, a large utility company required security to protect its high-value facilities and substations, reduce theft and minimize power outage risks from domestic terror threats. Twenty20 Solutions conducted a security audit to identify vulnerabilities at the facilities, and rapidly deployed mobile video surveillance solutions to immediately curtail thefts. The company’s surveillance needs fluctuate during periods of expansion, making it difficult to manage internal support resources during high and low periods. So, instead of staffing its own team to monitor these systems, the company trusts Twenty20 Solutions to monitor all surveillance platform events in real-time, around the clock, from its Manned Monitoring Center (MMC). The security solutions are equipped with a “voice down” functionality and speaker system, which allows the Twenty20 monitoring team to issue live, verbal warnings, such as “The police have been contacted and are on their way.” The system can also play recordings, such as barking dogs, to deter unauthorized personnel from entering the facilities. These video surveillance solutions, manned by Twenty20’s MMC team, have stopped multiple thefts and led to numerous arrests. The “voice down” functionality prevented one break-in altogether, saving the company not just the loss from theft but the damage from a forced entry.
Technology of the Future
Twenty20 continues to focus on bringing leading-edge technology and innovations to the market and to the solutions being offered to the customers. By leveraging their in-house R&D talent as well as strategic partnerships, the foundation of their security and automation solutions continue to be the technology that drives them.
Using the company’s solutions, users can automate and control critical assets without truck rolls or lost productivity. Twenty20 integrates sensors, gauges and devices with their customers’ equipment and machinery to provide data telemetry, real-time information and better control of their remote operations while using fewer resources. Customers can then have full control of operating pumps, tank levels and pressures, valve openings/closures and other critical functions to maximize their productivity and efficiency. This includes:
- Automated, preventive actions to reduce downtime and outages;
- Programmed actuation and equipment and system shut-off settings;
- Automated push alerts to text, email or other systems notifying customers when attention is needed.
The system improves productivity and helps to keeps operations running efficiently and effectively, reducing downtime and managing costs.
Twenty20 Solutions began by serving the energy industry, and they continue to expand their solutions to service this important segment of their business. Twenty20’s portfolio has grown to include electric and gas utilities companies, construction companies, agriculture enterprises, saltwater disposal companies, wind and solar farms, automotive players, and others. They deploy their solutions across the country, with offices strategically placed in Irving, TX, Midland, TX and Bakersfield, CA and have plans to expand to the international market, initially through strategic partners.
As a company, Twenty20 Solutions is strategically focused on technology at its core. Their upcoming products and services will continue to focus on enhancing that technology to provide more innovation and seamless integration for customers. Developing technology that helps customers automate their day-to-day on-site activities, and keeps their assets, people and businesses safe and compliant is the main focus for Twenty20. For example, their AI-enabled technology will continue to enhance their core object recognition, event classification and event confirmation. Twenty20 will also continue to enhance their license plate recognition functionality. The company’s roadmap includes further innovations such as facial recognition technology and the ability to identify specific safety compliance measures like hard hats and vests on workers. In addition, they have plans to focus on asset management capability and are focused on delivering advanced site automation and optimization capabilities.
Fast and accurate object recognition is the foundation of Twenty20’s AI security solutions. Through accurate identification of these objects, the system can search for specific items and events, identify unusual activity, compare objects to others for identification purposes, track equipment locations and more. Twenty20 continues to look at growth areas, new markets, verticals, partners and delivering new product capabilities in addition to potential acquisitions or mergers to bring adjacent functionality to their core offering.
