Principles of 3D Seismic Interpretation and Application

Seismic Acquisition and Processing is part of a sequence of related activities and its design should in the first place reflect the purpose of acquiring the data. In general the sequence consists of acquisition, processing, interpretation (structural, stratigraphic, quantitative), providing input for static and dynamic reservoir modelling and eventually for time-lapse applications related to reservoir management. In addition it should be remembered that seismic is only one of the many means of investigating the earth. Think of gravity, magnetic, electromagnetic, etc.
Fundamentally the aim of seismic acquisition is to acquire a data set that will after processing provide (within budgetary constraints) a best possible image of the subsurface. That means that the data should not only show structure but also capture information on the rock properties. In other (geophysical) words, the subsurface should be sufficiently illuminated and the reflection amplitudes should "contain" the properties of the rock matrix and the pore fluids.
Surveys will in first instance be designed on the basis required bin size, offset and azimuth distributions, multiplicity, etc. Although these requirements need to be satisfied, they might still not be sufficient for the purpose. Namely they still might not indicate how well the subsurface will be illuminated. Using recent advances in geophysics, the degree of illumination can be investigated using "model-based" resolution functions, also called point-spread functions. These resolution functions are a powerful tool for evaluating/comparing different acquisition geometries and also different processing sequences.