Workstations for integrated seismic interpretation

Seismic workstations are going to have a dramatic influence on the way seismic intepretation will be carried out in the near future. One may expect interpretation procedures to be completely modified within a few years. Very large data volumes now can be scanned in a spectacular, fast way and presented in many different formats. Routine matters such as picking and mapping have been successfully automated, and many advanced consistency checks are being developed. As a consequence, the efficiency and quality of seismic intepretation is being improved considerably. This also means that significantly fewer interpreters will be needed for conventional handwork. The interpreter of the future can be fully dedicated to the actual ''inversion problem'' of determining an accurate and detailed model of the subsurface from geologic, seismic and borehole information. It also may be expected that, in addition to seismic interpretation, workstations will play an essential role in seismic processing. Particularly in seismic processing based on geological models (model-driven processing), seismic workstations are going to be an invaluable tool. This important development may initiate a genuine integration between processing and interpretation.