ION Announces New Data Processing Technique

ION Geophysical Corporation announced that its GX Technology data processing group has introduced a seismic data processing technology that delivers broadband results for conventional “flat” streamer data. Known as WiBandTM, this new technology delivers superior high resolution images that interpreters can use to help their E&P companies make more accurate and reliable technical decisions.

Source and receiver notches in the frequency spectrum resulting from free surface reflections, or “ghosts,” have traditionally limited resolution in the marine environment. Significant industry interest has recently risen for broadband solutions to tackle this problem, but to date, these have not been applicable to conventional “flat” streamer data, which represents the vast majority of legacy data and much of the new data currently being acquired. WiBand processing technology uniquely tackles both the source and receiver ghosts to recover the full spectrum in data acquired using conventional towed streamers, delivering increased structural and stratigraphic detail and the potential for advanced processing techniques with the enhanced low frequencies.

Nick Bernitsas, Senior Vice President of ION’s GX Technology group, commented, “The unique combination of algorithms and workflows offered by WiBand processing allow our clients to get broad bandwidth results from conventional streamer data. This has traditionally been a very difficult problem that our scientists have now developed a solution for, and WiBand offers a tremendous opportunity to improve image quality by reprocessing legacy data or by application to new acquisition, as well as to enhance the value of our GeoVenturesTM marine offerings. To date, client reception of the technology has been very enthusiastic, with a number of them contracting us to work on high profile projects."

WiBand technology has quickly gained industry interest, with over 20 2D and 3D evaluation projects either complete or underway for eight ION clients in 15 different basins around the world. A large proportion of these projects are from field development areas where the E&P companies are seeking to gain increased resolution and clarity at the reservoir level.