Minimal Metrics Accelerates Seismic Data Processing

Minimal Metrics Accelerates Seismic Data Processing

When GeoSpace Technologies, a global leader in seismic data acquisition systems, wanted to scale up their performance and their capacity, they called Minimal Metrics.

Aside from high-frequency trading, no-where is the performance a bigger differentiator than in seismic data processing. While the hardware and algorithms are highly guarded trade secrets, the process is relatively simple to explain. It consists of collecting seismic data from a large number of sensors, removing the impulse (transmitted) signal, correlating that data along temporal and spatial boundaries and then combining that data into a picture of what lies beneath. This picture actually consists of millions of data points and is often used as input into additional processing designed to identify features of interest – like natural gas deposits. Rapid turnaround time to this process is absolutely key due to the capital expenditures required to keep exploration and drilling equipment and personnel in the field. This pipeline is extremely data and compute intensive, with input data sets often exceeding dozens of Terabytes.

Minimal Metrics worked with this client to identify and analyze a critical phase in the processing pipeline from a number of perspectives; systems, hardware, and software design, with a special focus on I/O performance. Minimal Metrics identified numerous substantial optimization opportunities and provided guidance in their implementation.

Within just a few weeks, the client was provided with a roadmap for future development, focused on delivering substantial, additional, end-to-end performance to their customer base without making any changes to their hardware.

Find out what your missing – contact Minimal Metrics for a consultation today.