Shale gas development is dependent on technology development. From drilling and completions technologies to reservoir monitoring to extending well life, there are many areas that would benefit from targeted R&D. Rick Nicholson of IDC Energy Insights has taken a look at the state of unconventional resource development and has identified five intelligent technologies that he believes merit more attention. The results were posted online about six weeks ago. They are: 1. Real-time high-resolution seismic data acquisition 2. Well lifecycle management 3. Environmental health and safety (EH&S) 4. Analytics 5. Enterprise content management (ECM) Though some of these technologies would immediately leap to mind, not all of them would be likely to make the “Top 5” list of every company involved in shale gas development. Fortunately, that is a point on which Nicholson and I agree. For those who are interested in reading about these technologies in more detail, they are available on the IDC Energy Insights site. And for those interested in adding to the list, Nicholson has requested that you share those ideas with him.