Robotization in Seismic Acquisition

The amount of sources and detectors in the seismic method follows "Moore’s Law of seismic data acquisition", i.e., it increases approximately by a factor of 10 every 10 years. Therefore automation is unavoidable, leading to robotization of seismic data acquisition. Recently, we introduced a new source concept that replaces today’s complex, local, broadband source arrays by distributed source arrays of simple, narrow-band sources (DSAs). This concept is not only most favorable for blended acquisition, it is also very suitable to decentralize the entire seismic acquisition system. E.g., think of a relatively large number of autonomous shooting boats (N), each boat equipped with a simple, narrow-band source and a local vector cable with M sensors. Together, all narrow-band sources illuminate the subsurface with an incoherent wavefield that is characterized by a high spatial and temporal bandwidth. Since each of the N sources fires into the M sensors of each of the N cables, the number of acquired multi-offset, multi-azimuth traces equals MN2! On land, data collection could be automated by introducing wireless geophones to be planted by robots. However, a far more interesting option is to use advanced airborne sensing technology, for simultaneously recording the seismic response of an entire area, supplemented with a sparse distribution of high-quality seismic sensors for calibration purposes. In our view such calibration sensors are ’unmanned flying objects’. In the Delphi Consortium, recently an innovation project on the robotization of seismic acquisition has started.