Technique to provide seismic data-based products

• US 7,426,438 B1
• Filed: 03/16/2007
• Issued: 09/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WesternGeco LLC
• Original Assignee: WesternGeco LLC
• Inventors: Robertsson, Johan Olof Anders
• Primary Examiner(s): Raymond; Edward
• Application Number:
  US11/687,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20080228403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 702/14, 702/2, 702/10, 702/11, 702/118, 702182-185, 702/188, 705/5, 705/10, 705/11, 705/25, 705/26
• US Class Current: 702/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A technique includes providing a pricing scheme to sell at least one seismic data-based product. The seismic data-based product(s) are generated from seismic data that is obtained from at least one sensor in tow, and the seismic data includes particle motion data, which the pricing scheme excludes from being sold.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a pricing scheme to sell at least one seismic data-based product, the product being developed from seismic data obtained from at least one sensor in tow,

wherein the seismic data includes particle motion data and the act of providing comprises providing a pricing scheme that excludes the sell of the particle motion data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one seismic product includes multiple seismic data-based products, and the act of providing comprises:

incorporating price tiers into the price scheme, each price tier being associated with at least one of the multiple seismic data-based products.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

designating each of the multiple seismic data-based products as belonging to one of the price tiers based on a degree of processing associated with generating the seismic data-based product.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

the seismic data further comprises pressure data;

the act of providing the pricing scheme comprises providing multiple price tiers into the pricing scheme; and

associating a first one of the price tiers with deghosted pressure data.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

associating a second one of the price tiers with deghosted and interpolated pressure data, said second of the price tiers being associated with a higher price than said first one of the price tiers.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

associating a third one of the price tiers with a seismic answer product, said third one of the price tiers being associated with a price higher than a price of said second one of the price tiers.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the seismic answer product comprises at least one of a time-lapsed image, a multiple-free image, a sub-salt image, a sub-basalt image, and a product inverted for rock properties comprising at least one of an impedance, a velocity, a lithology and a fluid content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the seismic data further comprises pressure data recorded by said at least one seismic sensor while in tow.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

processing the pressure data to remove noise to generate processed pressure data;

processing the particle motion data to compensate the particle motion data for sensor calibration and alignment errors to generate compensated particle motion data;

processing the compensated particle motion data to remove noise to generate processed particle motion data; and

processing the processed pressure data based on at least part of the processed particle motion data to generate at least one of the seismic data-based products.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

towing said at least one seismic sensor behind a vessel; and

recording the seismic data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the act of towing the seismic sensors comprises:

towing at least one streamer containing multi-component sensors.

12. A data product for marine exploration, comprising:

at least one seismic data set, wherein the seismic data set includes seismic pressure data obtained from at least one sensor in tow, wherein the seismic data set includes data derived from particle motion data and the seismic data set has a first price.

13. The data product of claim 12, wherein the seismic data set comprises deghosted pressure data.

14. The data product of claim 12, wherein the data product further comprises second seismic data set derived from the particle motion data and having a second price higher than the first price.

15. The data product of claim 14, wherein the second seismic data set comprises deghosted and regularized pressure data.

16. The data product of claim 14, wherein the data product further comprises a third seismic data set including data derived from particle motion data and having a third price greater than the second price.

17. The data product of claim 16, wherein the third seismic data set comprises a seismic answer product.