Support for Global PIDX Deployment

Support for Global PIDX Deployment. 

Tell Us What You Think, and maybe Win an IPOD

 

You may, or may not be familiar with PIDX, the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) committee on Electronic Business Standards and Processes. But, they are interested in your opinion on how best to provide support for international deployments of the PIDX standards.

 

The PIDX Global Business Practices Workgroup (GBPWG), which was founded in 2006 to develop and document best practices for global e-Commerce in the Oil & Gas industry, captures, aggregates and publishes country-specific best practices and information, including legal, fiscal and business practices, in the form of Country Profiles.

 

The GBPWG is surveying both PIDX members and non-members to better understand the importance and relevance of the workgroup to the international e-Commerce expansion efforts of the industry.  The survey can be found at

 

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB228T4AC9ZCE 

 

The survey closes on Monday 23^rd February 2009.

 

Eiro Consulting, a professional services firm specializing in e-Commerce, will hold a drawing to allow one lucky survey responder to win an IPOD Nano. 

 

www.pidx.org

www.eiroconsulting.com

Study Reveals Most Promising AEC Markets for 2009

ZweigWhite, a leading source of management information and consulting for the design and construction industry, just released its 2009 AEC Industry Outlook: Strategy and Insight for Design & Construction Firms. This survey of leaders in the AEC industry reveals a shake-up in the markets expected to be most promising in 2009. While health care still holds the top spot, despite the impact that financial markets have had on project funding, three of last year’s top five ranked markets – higher education, K-12 schools and the office market – did not even make the list in 2009. Instead, industry leaders have tapped the municipal government, transportation, energy/power and green building markets to round out the top five most promising markets in 2009.

“This really shows how dynamic the current AEC marketplace has become,” said ZweigWhite President Ian Rusk. “There are so many forces at work here, from the impact of shrinking endowment values on the higher education market, which has been in the top five for as long as I can recall, to the recession’s impact on the office market. But the biggest takeaway here is that industry leaders seem to be looking to markets that have the most to gain from government investment.”

Based on the survey published in the 2009 AEC Industry Outlook, the top five markets to watch in 2009 are:

  1. Health care

  2. Government/Municipal

  3. Transportation

  4. Energy/Power

  5. Green Building

The report also identifies the key trends that will affect the AEC business in 2009. This electronic report is available for purchase on their website, but the executive summary is available for download at no charge.

www.zweigwhite.com

 

 

Should UH-Downtown change its name?

Changing the name of the University of Houston – Downtown is not a good idea because of all the costs of changing the signage, stationery, brochures and other collateral. Better to distinguish that institution from UH Central Campus by spending that money on a marketing campaign that uses the Gator mascot on everything, touting the fact that “We’re not Cougars — We’re Gators!” (Didn’t know that was their mascot? Me neither — I had to look it up online). The cougar ad campaign was VERY successful for UH, and UHD can use the same strategy to its advantage — without being a “copycat.”

Geoscientists In Demand, Says INEXS

INEXS has released a white paper that connects the dots between the acute shortage of geoscientists and a predicted increase in acquisitions and divestures (A&D) activity in the oil and gas industry. INEXS suggests that the economic credit crisis and dropping crude prices are setting the stage for a big oil industry consolidation, where cash-rich energy companies continue growth by purchasing cash-constrained companies unable or unwilling to borrow. Geological services are a necessary step in this A&D process. However, without experienced geoscientific staff, oil companies that either want to acquire new properties or divest themselves of potential producing assets will not have the right team in place to make the most profitable decisions.

The INEXS white paper entitled, “Where have All the Geoscientists Gone?…And Why It’s a Big Problem for the Energy Sector,” highlights long-term solutions, as well as immediate remedies to the crisis. The INEXS white paper will be available at the INEXS NAPE Booth #3425, where INEXS management will be present to outline possible solutions to the A&D challenges faced in this troubled economy. Additionally, the white paper will be posted on the INEXS Web site (www.inexs.com).