Abstract: A method for determining and reporting a general production state of a gas-lift system for an oil well, the oil well having associated tubing, casing, and gas-lift valves, and wherein sensor signals from the welt and its associated tubing and casing are input into mathematical models. The method comprises the steps of: a) extracting values from the mathematical models that indicate instantaneous states of production; b) supplying the sensor signals and the values to an associative memory agent; and c) using the associative memory agent to associate the sensor signals and the values to generate the general production state.

Abstract: A method of managing multiple wells connected to a reservoir comprises the steps of: setting production and performance goals for each individual well; monitoring the performance of each individual well; enabling each individual well to assess its own situational state; and enabling socially interactive corrective actions, comprising enabling collaboration and cooperation among the wells, such that the wells share with each other their situational states, goals, and plan data; developing and refining remediation strategies for problems detected within the wells; allowing execution of the remediation strategies either independently, or by operator intervention; applying the remediation strategies to each individual well; revising and resetting the goals, and integrating pattern recognition and machine learning within all preceding steps.