[mod.ai] Seminar - Automation in Seismic Interpretation

leff%smu@csnet-relay.UUCP.UUCP (01/29/87)

January 28, 1987, 1:30PM, 315SIC Computer Science Department,
Southern Methodist Univeristy, Dallas, Texas



		 AUTOMATION IN SEISMIC INTERPRETATION

			   Bruce Flinchbaugh
			   Texas Instruments


ABSTRACT

Interpreting three-dimensional seismic data is important for oil and
gas exploration.  Part of the problem is perception-intensive (experts
spend much of their time looking at the data), and part of the problem
is more cognition-intensive (experts reconcile perceived structures
with knowledge of plausible geology and other sources of information).
This talk will present a simple overview of the seismic data
acquisition and processing required to produce three-dimensional
seismic data volumes.  Then a variety of tools for assisting in the
interpretation of the data will be discussed.  For the most part
today's useful tools are aimed at solving the perception-intensive
problems.  Finally some open problems in seismic interpretation will
be described.


BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Flinchbaugh is a Senior Member of Technical Staff at T.I. in the
Computer Science Center Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, where he
is currently tackling semiconductor manufacturing automation problems.
Also at T.I. he has invented techniques assisting in the processing
and structural interpretation of three-dimensional seismic data.
Previous research in artificial intelligence, at M.I.T. and The Ohio
State University, addressed computational vision problems involving
the interpretation of motion and color.  Dr. Flinchbaugh received his
Ph.D. in computer and information science from The Ohio State
University in 1980.