Our latest software release – Geoteric 2023.1 – is game changing for the energy industry and proving to be ‘critical technology’ for operators. The update brings together AI Faults and AI Horizons in the world’s first AI Seismic Interpretation software
Senior Geoscientist Dr Ryan Williams believes the new technology is revolutionising the way geoscience teams interpret seismic data; allowing them to achieve results that were previously impossible. In this edition of our Meet the Team series, Ryan lifts the lid on his favourite features of the software – and reveals that he’d now be flying high with the Royal Air Force if he hadn’t caught the rock bug.
What’s your personal favourite feature of 2023.1 and why?
AI Horizons is the star of the show! The new technology is really building upon our ground-breaking AI Fault Interpretation that allows geoscientists to visualise faults in seismic data undetectable to the human eye. By including stucturally-aware AI Horizons into our easy-to-use workflows we’re offering our customers the complete AI seismic interpretation package that will allow them to take their interpretation to another stratosphere.
As a geoscientist, how do you feel Geoteric’s software and specifically the 2023.1 release can support geoscience teams?
Simultaneously interpret faults and horizons to be able to understand the geology faster than ever before is critical to geoscientists. Easy-to-use etc, low trainer threshold. You can be new to Geoteric and achieve results with positive business impact. The flexibility to use and visualise the interpretation cubes in slice mode makes the results light and agile to use, enabling us to complete interpretation work at an unprecedented rate. The interpretation results can be directly used to evaluate previously undertaken interpretation to offer an impartial, unbiased analysis and could suggest a possible solution to areas of conflicting interpretations.Tell us about your involvement in the development of 2023.1.Our software has the geoscientist at the heart of its design so it’s unsurprising that I’ve been involved in all stages of the launch of Geoteric AI seismic interpretation, such as testing the new AI tools and workflow identification and development. Our technology has also been used in recent service projects where feedback on the workflow and functionality of the tool has been implemented into the new release.
You’re clearly very passionate about geoscience and Geoteric, but what do you find most fascinating about this line of work? And is there anything that makes you proud about the work you do?Every task or project that we work on is different from the last. There is obviously some overlap, but until you get into the seismic data, you don’t know what the main challenges are going to be. This makes Geoteric a never-ending learning curve and every day different.
I’m proud that the work we do makes a difference and adds real business value to our customers. Whether it be de-risking well placement, allowing them to better predict a future production or in the renewables space, identifying suitable locations for carbon, capture and storage (CCS) purposes. We find that energy companies come to Geoteric because of our reputation to get fast, accurate results in difficult, complex geology.
You’ve been part of this industry for many years now. Has the application of seismic interpretation evolved since you first entered it?I remember interpreting seismic data on paper! It involved making three structural maps over thirty cross sections, to identify a structural closure for volumetric calculations. It took a week to complete. Fast forward to today where we can do all this digitally with Geoteric AI Seismic Interpretation - it’s a significant step for subsurface investigation.
How can AI complement the work of geoscientists?
AI can empower a geoscientist in many ways. On a recent visit with a customer, we used AI to check the accuracy of the existing manual interpretation to see if all faults were interpreted and to confirm if what was interpreted was correct.
Alternatively, AI can be used to find answers to geological problems that we previously been unable to answer. In a recent project, we used AI Horizons and AI Faults to identify the reason why a well was underperforming. The AI revealed features that were previously uninterpreted due to their fine-scale nature, confirmed its 3D position and ultimately, solved the problem.
How do you think geoscience will evolve in future?
The future is already here today with Geoteric AI Seismic Interpretation. The technology is completely revolutionary so I think the immediate future will be that AI will become more widely accepted in the industry, freeing up the time of geoscientists to focus on other value-adding areas.
Did you always want to do something geology-related as a career – or did you have other ambitions?
Growing up, I either wanted to be a carpenter or join the RAF. It wasn’t until my GCSEs, when I was fortunate enough to have geology as a subject option, that I got the rock bug. I enjoyed the field trips that came with geography, so when the opportunity to study this in more depth was available, I took up geology and never looked back.
While the RAF obviously wasn’t the career choice for me, while at school I was able to complete my gliders license. On completion, I successfully flew a glider solo!Finally, how would you summarise Geoteric AI Seismic Interpretation in one word?Limitless.
To find out more about Geoteric AI, click here. To try our AI on your own data get in touch with us here.
