Methods and systems for selecting and acquiring data to update a geophysical database

• US 20050228725A1
• Filed: 06/09/2005
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Gibson, John W. Jr., Rao, M. Vikram, Gleitman, Daniel D., Rector, Sharon, Coe, Jimmy R.
• Application Number:
  US11/148,497
• Publication Number:
  US 20050228725A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/003 Seismic data acquisition in general, e.g. survey design G01V1/3808, G01V1/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

Methods and systems for collecting, managing, distributing and updating geophysical data primarily for E&P companies include in one embodiment the sale of subscriptions entitling paid subscribers access to all subscribed data including both preview and full data. Initial and subsequent data providers are preferably compensated from subscriber fees and may be compensated based on relative subscriber use of data. Data subscriptions can include for subscribers the right to vote or otherwise provide input relating to desired data updates. Data updates are preferably purchased based on competitive bids. The inventive systems and methods diminish much of the risk and uncertainty associated with the collection, management, distribution and updating of geophysical data under current methodologies, making the process more efficient and cost-effective for participating parties.

Claims

1. A method of operating a geophysical database containing data relating to underground structures, comprising the steps of:

storing said data in said geophysical database, said data including multiple shoots;

identifying a new shoot to add to said geophysical database;

identifying a plurality of potential data providers to provide said new shoot;

providing to said plurality of potential data providers information about said new shoot;

collecting a bid from each of said plurality of potential data providers to provide said new shoot;

selecting, using the bids, a selected provider for said new shoot; and

acquiring said new shoot from said selected provider.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said selected provider is a data owner and said step of acquiring includes acquiring existing data from said selected provider.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said selected provider is a data collector and said step of acquiring includes the steps of:

waiting while said selected provider collects said new shoot; and

acquiring the newly collected said new shoot from said selected provider.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of acquiring includes acquiring said new shoot by at least one of the group comprising purchasing said new shoot and licensing said new shoot.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said new shoot comprises an update of at least a portion of a shoot residing in said geophysical database.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said new shoot comprises a collection of data at least a portion of which is not geographically overlapping data residing in said geophysical database.

7. A system for operating a geophysical database containing data relating to underground structures, comprising:

a controller;

a memory connected to said controller, said memory storing instructions operative with said controller to perform the steps of;

storing said data in said geophysical database, said data including multiple shoots;

identifying a new shoot to add to said geophysical database;

identifying a plurality of potential data providers to provide said new shoot;

providing to said plurality of potential data providers information about said new shoot;

collecting a bid from each of said plurality of potential data providers to provide said new shoot;

selecting, using the bids, a selected provider for said new shoot; and

acquiring said new shoot from said selected provider.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said selected provider is a data owner and said step of acquiring includes acquiring existing data from said selected provider.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein said selected provider is a data collector and said step of acquiring includes the steps of:

waiting while said selected provider collects said new shoot; and

acquiring the newly collected said new shoot from said selected provider.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein said step of acquiring includes acquiring said new shoot by at least one of the group comprising purchasing said new shoot and licensing said new shoot.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein said new shoot comprises an update of at least a portion of a shoot residing in said geophysical database.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein said new shoot comprises a collection of data at least a portion of which is not geographically overlapping data residing in said geophysical database.

13. A system for operating a geophysical database containing data relating to underground structures, comprising:

means for storing said data in said geophysical database, said data including multiple shoots;

means for identifying a new shoot to add to said geophysical database;

means for identifying a plurality of potential data providers to provide said new shoot;

means for providing to said plurality of potential data providers information about said new shoot;

means for collecting a bid from each of said plurality of potential data providers to provide said new shoot;

means for selecting, using the bids, a selected provider for said new shoot; and

means for acquiring said new shoot from said selected provider.

14. A computer program product, for use with a computer system, for operating a geophysical database containing data relating to underground structures, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium containing thereon instructions operative to control the operation of the computer system to perform the steps of;

storing said data in said geophysical database, said data including multiple shoots;

identifying a new shoot to add to said geophysical database;

identifying a plurality of potential data providers to provide said new shoot;

providing to said plurality of potential data providers information about said new shoot;

collecting a bid from each of said plurality of potential data providers to provide said new shoot;

selecting, using the bids, a selected provider for said new shoot; and

acquiring said new shoot from said selected provider.

15. A method of operating a geophysical database containing data relating to underground structures, comprising the steps of:

storing said data in said geophysical database, said data including multiple shoots;

establishing a plurality of accounts, each respective account for a user including access to subscriber data in said geophysical database and a right to provide input on updates to said geophysical database;

collecting from the users input relating to updating said geophysical database;

identifying, based in at least part on said collecting step, a new shoot to add to said geophysical database;

identifying a plurality of potential data providers to provide said new shoot;

providing to said plurality of potential data providers information about said new shoot;

soliciting, from each of said plurality of potential data providers, a bid for said new shoot;

collecting the bid from each of said plurality of potential data providers to provide said new shoot;

selecting, using the bids, a selected provider for said new shoot; and

acquiring said new shoot from said selected provider.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said selected provider is a data owner and said step of acquiring includes acquiring existing data from said selected provider.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said selected provider is a data collector and said step of acquiring includes the steps of:

waiting while said selected provider collects said new shoot; and

acquiring the newly collected said new shoot from said selected provider.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of acquiring includes acquiring said new shoot by at least one of the group comprising purchasing said new shoot and licensing said new shoot.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein said new shoot comprises an update of at least a portion of a shoot residing in said geophysical database.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein said new shoot comprises a collection of data at least a portion of which is not residing in said geophysical database.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein said right to provide input includes a right to submit a vote.

22. The method of claim 15 wherein said right to provide input includes participating on a committee that provides input on updates to said geophysical database.

23. A system for operating a geophysical database containing data relating to underground structures, comprising:

a controller;

a memory connected to said controller, said memory storing instructions operative with said controller to perform the steps of;

storing said data in said geophysical database, said data including multiple shoots;

establishing a plurality of accounts, each respective account for a user including access to subscriber data in said geophysical database and a right to provide input on updates to said geophysical database;

collecting from the users input relating to updating said geophysical database;

identifying;

based in at least part on said collecting step, a new shoot to add to said geophysical database;

identifying a plurality of potential data providers to provide said new shoot;

providing to said plurality of potential data providers information about said new shoot;

transmitting, to each of said plurality of potential data providers, a request for a bid for said new shoot;

collecting the bid from each of said plurality of potential data providers to provide said new shoot;

selecting, using the bids, a selected provider for said new shoot; and

acquiring said new shoot from said selected provider.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein said selected provider is a data owner and said step of acquiring includes acquiring existing data from said selected provider.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein said selected provider is a data collector and said step of acquiring includes the steps of:

waiting while said selected provider collects said new shoot; and

acquiring the newly collected said new shoot from said selected provider.

26. The system of claim 23 wherein said step of acquiring includes acquiring said new shoot by at least one of the group comprising purchasing said new shoot and licensing said new shoot.

27. The system of claim 23 wherein said new shoot comprises an update of at least a portion of a shoot residing in said geophysical database.

28. The system of claim 23 wherein said new shoot comprises a collection of data at least a portion of which is not residing in said geophysical database.

29. The system of claim 23 wherein said right to provide input includes a right to submit a vote.

30. The system of claim 23 wherein said right to provide input includes participating on a committee that provides input on updates to said geophysical database.

31. A system for operating a geophysical database containing data relating to underground structures, comprising:

means for storing said data in said geophysical database, said data including multiple shoots;

means for establishing a plurality of accounts, each respective account for a user including access to subscriber data in said geophysical database and a right to provide input on updates to said geophysical database;

means for collecting from the users input relating to updating said geophysical database;

means for identifying, based in at least part on said collecting step, a new shoot to add to said geophysical database;

means for identifying a plurality of potential data providers to provide said new shoot;

means for providing to said plurality of potential data providers information about said new shoot;

means for soliciting, from each of said plurality of potential data providers, a bid for said new shoot;

means for collecting the bid from each of said plurality of potential data providers to provide said new shoot;

means for selecting, using the bids, a selected provider for said new shoot; and

means for acquiring said new shoot from said selected provider.

32. A computer program product, for use with a computer system, for operating a geophysical database containing data relating to underground structures, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium containing thereon instructions operative to control the operation of the computer system to perform the steps of;

storing said data in said geophysical database, said data including multiple shoots;

establishing a plurality of accounts, each respective account for a user including access to subscriber data in said geophysical database and a right to provide input on updates to said geophysical database;

collecting from the users input relating to updating said geophysical database;

identifying, based in at least part on said collecting step, a new shoot to add to said geophysical database;

identifying a plurality of potential data providers to provide said new shoot;

providing to said plurality of potential data providers information about said new shoot;

soliciting, from each of said plurality of potential data providers, a bid for said new shoot;

collecting the bid from each of said plurality of potential data providers to provide said new shoot;

selecting, using the bids, a selected provider for said new shoot; and

acquiring said new shoot from said selected provider.

33. A method of operating a geophysical database containing data relating to underground structures, comprising the steps of:

storing said data in said geophysical database;

identifying a plurality of users each desiring access to said geophysical database;

collecting a respective fee from each of said plurality of users to establish for each of said plurality of users a respective subscription to said geophysical database;

providing to each of said plurality of users access to data for use in assessing the hydrocarbon potential of said underground structures;

providing with each respective subscription a right to provide input on updates to said data;

collecting from each of said plurality of users a respective request to update said data;

selecting, based on said step of collecting from each of said plurality of users a respective request to update said data, candidate data updates;

collecting competitive bids for said candidate data updates from a plurality of potential data providers;

selecting, based on said respective requests from said plurality of users and said competitive bids from said plurality of potential data providers, at least one selected data update from a selected data provider; and

acquiring, funded at least in part by the fees collected from said plurality of subscribers, said desired data updates from the potential data providers.

34. The method of claim 33 and further including the step of providing suggested updates to said plurality of users.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein said selected provider is a data owner and said step of acquiring includes acquiring existing data from said selected provider.

36. The method of claim 33 wherein said selected provider is a data collector and said step of acquiring includes the steps of:

waiting while said selected provider collects said new shoot; and

acquiring the newly collected said new shoot from said selected provider.

37. The method of claim 33 wherein said step of acquiring includes acquiring said new shoot by at least one of the group comprising purchasing said new shoot and licensing said new shoot.

38. The method of claim 33 wherein said new shoot comprises an update of at least a portion of a shoot residing in said geophysical database.

39. The method of claim 33 wherein said new shoot comprises a collection of data at least a portion of which is not residing in said geophysical database.

40. The method of claim 33 wherein said right to provide input includes a right to submit a vote.

41. The method of claim 33 wherein said right to provide input includes participating on a committee that provides input on updates to said geophysical database.

42. A system for operating a geophysical database containing data relating to underground structures, comprising:

a controller;

a memory connected to said controller and storing instructions operative with said controller to perform the steps of;

storing said data in said geophysical database;

identifying a plurality of users each desiring access to said geophysical database;

storing a respective fee collected from each of said plurality of users to establish for each of said plurality of users a respective subscription to said geophysical database;

providing to each of said plurality of users access to data for use in assessing the hydrocarbon potential of said underground structures;

providing with each respective subscription a right to provide input on updates to said data;

collecting from each of said plurality of users a respective request to update said data;

selecting, based on said step of collecting from each of said plurality of users a respective request to update said data, candidate data updates;

collecting competitive bids for said candidate data updates from a plurality of potential data providers;

storing, based on said respective requests from said plurality of users and said competitive bids from said plurality of potential data providers, a selection identifying at least one selected data update from a selected data provider; and

acquiring, funded at least in part by the fees collected from said plurality of subscribers, said desired data updates from the potential data providers.

43. The system of claim 42 and further including the step of providing suggested updates to said plurality of users.

44. The system of claim 42 wherein said selected provider is a data owner and said step of acquiring includes acquiring existing data from said selected provider.

45. The system of claim 42 wherein said selected provider is a data collector and said step of acquiring includes the steps of:

waiting while said selected provider collects said new shoot; and

acquiring the newly collected said new shoot from said selected provider.

46. The system of claim 42 wherein said step of acquiring includes acquiring said new shoot by at least one of the group comprising purchasing said new shoot and licensing said new shoot.

47. The system of claim 42 wherein said new shoot comprises an update of at least a portion of a shoot residing in said geophysical database.

48. The system of claim 42 wherein said new shoot comprises a collection of data at least a portion of which is not residing in said geophysical database.

49. The system of claim 42 wherein said right to provide input includes a right to submit a vote.

50. The system of claim 42 wherein said right to provide input includes participating on a committee that provides input on updates to said geophysical database.

51. A system for operating a geophysical database containing data relating to underground structures, comprising:

means for storing said data in said geophysical database;

means for identifying a plurality of users each desiring access to said geophysical database;

means for collecting a respective fee from each of said plurality of users to establish for each of said plurality of users a respective subscription to said geophysical database;

means for providing to each of said plurality of users access to data for use in assessing the hydrocarbon potential of said underground structures;

means for providing with each respective subscription a right to provide input on updates to said data;

means for collecting from each of said plurality of users a respective request to update said data;

means for selecting, based on said step of collecting from each of said plurality of users a respective request to update said data, candidate data updates;

means for collecting competitive bids for said candidate data updates from a plurality of potential data providers;

means for selecting, based on said respective requests from said plurality of users and said competitive bids from said plurality of potential data providers, at least one selected data update from a selected data provider; and

means for acquiring, funded at least in part by the fees collected from said plurality of subscribers, said desired data updates from the potential data providers.

52. A computer program product, for use with a computer system, for operating a geophysical database containing data relating to underground structures, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium containing thereon instructions operative to control the operation of the computer system to perform the steps of;

storing said data in said geophysical database;

identifying a plurality of users each desiring access to said geophysical database;

storing a respective fee collected from each of said plurality of users to establish for each of said plurality of users a respective subscription to said geophysical database;

providing to each of said plurality of users access to data for use in assessing the hydrocarbon potential of said underground structures;

providing with each respective subscription a right to provide input on updates to said data;

collecting from each of said plurality of users a respective request to update said data;

selecting, based on said step of collecting from each of said plurality of users a respective request to update said data, candidate data updates;

collecting competitive bids for said candidate data updates from a plurality of potential data providers;

storing, based on said respective requests from said plurality of users and said competitive bids from said plurality of potential data providers, a selection identifying at least one selected data update from a selected data provider; and

inputting, funded at least in part by the fees collected from said plurality of subscribers, said desired data updates from the potential data providers.

53. A method operable on a computer for compensating data owners for providing geophysical data to a geophysical database, comprising the steps of:

receiving geophysical data from a data owner;

storing said geophysical data in a geophysical database;

establishing a plurality of subscriptions to said geophysical database, each of said plurality of subscriptions including a respective fee for which a respective subscriber is provided access to said geophysical data; and

compensating said data owner based at least in part on the total value of the fees collected from the subscribers.

54. A method in accordance with claim 53 wherein said step of compensating said data owner includes providing said data owner a percentage of the total value of the fees.

55. A method in accordance with claim 54 wherein the value of said percentage is based at least in part on the usage of said geophysical data by the subscribers.

56. A method in accordance with claim 54 wherein the value of said percentage is based at least on part on the quality of said geophysical data.

57. A system for compensating data owners for providing geophysical data to a geophysical database, comprising:

a controller;

a memory connected to said controller and storing instructions operative with said controller to perform the steps of;

receiving geophysical data from a data owner;

storing said geophysical data in a geophysical database;

establishing a plurality of subscriptions to said geophysical database, each of said plurality of subscriptions including a respective fee for which a respective subscriber is provided access to said geophysical data; and

compensating said data owner based at least in part on the total value of the fees collected from the subscribers.

58. A system in accordance with claim 57 wherein said step of compensating said data owner includes providing said data owner a percentage of the total value of the fees.

59. A system in accordance with claim 58 wherein the value of said percentage is based at least in part on the usage of said geophysical data by the subscribers.

60. A system in accordance with claim 58 wherein the value of said percentage is based at least in part on the quality of said geophysical data.

61. A system for compensating data owners for providing geophysical data to a geophysical database, comprising:

means for receiving geophysical data from a data owner;

means for storing said geophysical data in a geophysical database;

means for establishing a plurality of subscriptions to said geophysical database, each of said plurality of subscriptions including a respective fee for which a respective subscriber is provided access to said geophysical data; and

means for compensating said data owner based at least in part on the total value of the fees collected from the subscribers.

62. A computer program product, for use with a computer system, for compensating data owners for providing geophysical data to a geophysical database, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium containing thereon instructions operative to control the operation of the computer system to perform the steps of;

receiving geophysical data from a data owner;

storing said geophysical data in a geophysical database;

establishing a plurality of subscriptions to said geophysical database, each of said plurality of subscriptions including a respective fee for which a respective subscriber is provided access to said geophysical data; and

compensating said data owner based at least in part on the total value of the fees collected from the subscribers.

63. A method operable on a computer for compensating data owners for providing geophysical data to a geophysical database, comprising the steps of:

receiving a first geophysical data shoot from a first data provider;

receiving a second geophysical data shoot from a second data provider;

storing said first and second geophysical data shoots in a geophysical database;

establishing a plurality of subscriptions to said geophysical database, each of said plurality of subscriptions including access to said first and second geophysical data shoots; and

compensating said first data provider based at least in part on the relative use of at least one sector of said first geophysical data shoot under said plurality of subscriptions.

64. A method in accordance with claim 63, wherein the step of establishing a plurality of subscriptions includes collecting a respective fee for each of said plurality of subscriptions;

and

said compensating step including determining the value of the compensation to said first data provider based at least in part on a percentage of the total value of the fees collected for said plurality of subscriptions.

65. A method in accordance with claim 63 wherein:

said first and second geophysical data shoots each includes overlapping geographical areas; and

said compensating step includes compensating said first and second data providers based at least in part on the relative use of said overlapping geographical areas in said first and second geophysical data shoots under said plurality of subscriptions.

66. A method in accordance with claim 63 wherein:

said first and second geophysical data shoots each includes entirely different geographical areas; and

said compensating step further includes compensating said second data provider based at least in part on the relative use of at least one sector of said second geophysical data shoot under said plurality of subscriptions.

67. A method in accordance with claim 63 wherein said compensating step includes determining the value of the compensation based at least in part on the quality of data.

68. A system for compensating data owners for providing geophysical data to a geophysical database, comprising:

a controller

a memory connected to said controller and storing instructions for controlling the operation of said controller to perform the steps of;

receiving a first geophysical data shoot from a first data provider;

receiving a second geophysical data shoot from a second data provider;

storing said first and second geophysical data shoots in a geophysical database;

establishing a plurality of subscriptions to said geophysical database, each of said plurality of subscriptions including access to said first and second geophysical data shoots; and

compensating said first data provider based at least in part on the relative use of at least one sector of said first geophysical data shoot under said plurality of subscriptions.

69. A system in accordance with claim 68, wherein the step of establishing a plurality of subscriptions includes collecting a respective fee for each of said plurality of subscriptions;

and

said compensating step including determining the value of the compensation to said first data provider based at least in part on a percentage of the total value of the fees collected for said plurality of subscriptions.

70. A system in accordance with claim 68 wherein:

said first and second geophysical data shoots each includes overlapping geographical areas; and

said compensating step includes compensating said first and second data providers based at least in part on the relative use of said overlapping geographical areas in said first and second geophysical data shoots under said plurality of subscriptions.

71. A system in accordance with claim 68 wherein:

said first and second geophysical data shoots each includes entirely different geographical areas; and

said compensating step further includes compensating said second data provider based at least in part on the relative use of at least one sector of said second geophysical data shoot under said plurality of subscriptions.

72. A system in accordance with claim 68 wherein said compensating step includes determining the value of the compensation based at least in part on the quality of data.

73. A system for compensating data owners for providing geophysical data to a geophysical database, comprising:

means for receiving a first geophysical data shoot from a first data provider;

means for receiving a second geophysical data shoot from a second data provider;

means for storing said first and second geophysical data shoots in a geophysical database;

means for establishing a plurality of subscriptions to said geophysical database, each of said plurality of subscriptions including access to said first and second geophysical data shoots; and

means for compensating said first data provider based at least in part on the relative use of at least one sector of said first geophysical data shoot under said plurality of subscriptions.

74. A computer program product, for use with a computer system, for compensating data owners for providing geophysical data to a geophysical database, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium containing thereon instructions operative to control the operation of the computer system to perform the steps of;

receiving a first geophysical data shoot from a first data provider;

receiving a second geophysical data shoot from a second data provider;

storing said first and second geophysical data shoots in a geophysical database;

establishing a plurality of subscriptions to said geophysical database, each of said plurality of subscriptions including access to said first and second geophysical data shoots; and

compensating said first data provider based at least in part on the relative use of at least one sector of said first geophysical data shoot under said plurality of subscriptions.

75. A method operable on a computer for compensating data owners for providing geophysical data to a geophysical database, comprising the steps of:

collecting a first geophysical data set from a first data provider, said first geophysical data set for a geographical area;

collecting a second geophysical data set from a second data provider, said second geophysical data set for said geographical area;

storing said first and second geophysical data sets in a geophysical database;

establishing a plurality of subscriptions to said geophysical database, each of said subscriptions including subscriber access to said geophysical database for a respective fee;

identifying at least a portion of the fees collected for said plurality of subscriptions for compensating said first and second data providers;

measuring the usage of said first and second geophysical data sets for said geographical area by subscribers; and

compensating said first and second data owners based at least in part on the relative use of said first and second geophysical data sets for said geographical area.

76. A method in accordance with claim 75 wherein each of said first and second geophysical data sets comprises at least one data shoot, said geographical area comprising at least one sector within said shoot.

77. A method in accordance with claim 75 wherein said compensating step further includes compensating said first and second data owners based in part on the relative quality of said first and second geophysical data sets.

78. A method in accordance with claim 75 wherein said compensating step further includes compensating said first and second data owners based at least in part on the value of the fees collected for said plurality of subscriptions.

79. A system for compensating data owners for providing geophysical data to a geophysical database, comprising:

a controller

a memory connected to said processor and storing instructions for controlling the operation of said processor to perform the steps of;

collecting a first geophysical data set from a first data provider, said first geophysical data set for a geographical area;

collecting a second geophysical data set from a second data provider, said second geophysical data set for said geographical area;

storing said first and second geophysical data sets in a geophysical database;

establishing a plurality of subscriptions to said geophysical database, each of said subscriptions including subscriber access to said geophysical database for a respective fee;

identifying at least a portion of the fees collected for said plurality of subscriptions for compensating said first and second data providers;

measuring the usage of said first and second geophysical data sets for said geographical area by subscribers; and

compensating said first and second data owners based at least in part on the relative use of said first and second geophysical data sets for said geographical area.

80. A system in accordance with claim 79 wherein each of said first and second geophysical data sets comprises at least one data shoot, said geographical area comprising at least one sector within said shoot.

81. A system in accordance with claim 79 wherein said compensating step further includes compensating said first and second data owners based in part on the relative quality of said first and second geophysical data sets.

82. A system in accordance with claim 79 wherein said compensating step further includes compensating said first and second data owners based at least in part on the value of the fees collected for said plurality of subscriptions.

83. A system for compensating data owners for providing geophysical data to a geophysical database, comprising:

means for collecting a first geophysical data set from a first data provider, said first geophysical data for a geographical area;

means for collecting a second geophysical data set from a second data provider, said second geophysical data set for said geographical area;

means for storing said first and second geophysical data sets in a geophysical database;

means for establishing a plurality of subscriptions to said geophysical database, each of said subscriptions including subscriber access to said geophysical database for a respective fee;

means for identifying at least a portion of the fees collected for said plurality of subscriptions for compensating said first and second data providers;

means for measuring the usage of said first and second geophysical data sets for said geographical area by subscribers; and

means for compensating said first and second data owners based at least in part on the relative use of said first and second geophysical data sets for said geographical area.

84. A computer program product, for use with a computer system, for compensating data owners for providing geophysical data to a geophysical database, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium containing thereon instructions operative to control the operation of the computer system to perform the steps of;

collecting a first geophysical data set from a first data provider, said first geophysical data set including a first data sector for a geographical area;

collecting a second geophysical data set from a second data provider, said second geophysical data set including a second data sector for said geographical area;

storing said first and second geophysical data sets in a geophysical database;

establishing a plurality of subscriptions to said geophysical database, each of said subscriptions including subscriber access to said geophysical database for a respective fee;

identifying at least a portion of the fees collected for said plurality of subscriptions for compensating said first and second data providers;

measuring the usage of said first and second geophysical data sets for said geographical area by subscribers; and

compensating said first and second data owners based at least in part on the relative use of said first and second geophysical data sets for said geographical area.