Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for programmatically deriving street geometry data from address data which is presented in textual format. A collection of address information is used as input, and is processed in a novel manner to populate tables of a spatially-enabled database. Preferred embodiments use a data mart schema which is disclosed, and leverage built-in functions of a spatially-enabled object relational database system. In contrast to prior art techniques, the present invention does not require input data to be encoded in a “well-known” format (i.e. a format that adheres to particular predefined syntax conventions known as “WKT” or “WKB”); rather, textual information of the type which is readily available from government and/or commercial sources may be used as input.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for controlling the quality of seismic data acquisition. The method includes generating a scattered acoustic wavefield and receiving at least a portion of the scattered wavefield. At least a portion of the received wavefield is substantially deghosting relatively near the acquisition site. The deghosting includes transforming the received scattered acoustic wavefield into the spatial frequency domain with respect to the in-line and cross-line directions, separating a ghost wavefield from the received wavefield and transforming the separated wavefield into the space-time domain. The quality of the substantially deghosted scattered acoustic wavefield below the surface of the water scattered acoustic wavefield is then evaluated.

Abstract: A well-log display (160) having a principle axis (135) matched to a deviation of a section of a well-bore (450) is disclosed. By presenting a well-log (160) at about the same angle as the section of the well-bore under consideration, a person viewing the well-log (160) will have the advantage of easily visualizing the inclination of the well-bore (450) to aid in geo-steering, proper interpretation of well-bore measurements, etc. Such a well-log (160) may be presented as a hardcopy or as an interactive display on a computer screen (642). A presentation (100, 200) of a well-log (160) may include more than just the log itself, for example, a reference diagram (100, 200) of the entire well highlighting (130) or otherwise indicating the part of the well currently being displayed in the well-log.

Abstract: A method for determination of seismic wave travel times from a surface location to at least one subsurface computation point (CP) within a plurality of subsurface location points. A velocity model of a region is defined. A complex monochromatic wavefield is computed, using the velocity model, for the at least one CP. An unwrapped phase of the seismic wave is determined at a neighboring computation point (NCP) proximate to at least one subsurface CP. The travel time of the seismic wave to the at least one CP is determined using the unwrapped NCP phase and the computed monochromatic wavefield for the at least one CP. Travel time maps and table may be created from the determined travel time values.

Abstract: Measurements made by a multicomponent logging tool in a borehole are inverted to obtain horizontal and vertical resistivities and formation dip and azimuth angles of a formation traversed by the borehole. The inversion is performed using a generalized Marquardt-Levenberg method. In this generalized Marquardt-Levenberg method, a data objective function is defined that is related to a difference between the model output and the measured data. The iterative procedure involves reducing a global objective function that is the sum of the data objective function and a model objective function related to changes in the model in successive iterations. In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the formation azimuth angle is excluded from the iterative process by using derived relations between the multicomponent measurements.

Abstract: A method and computer system of processing seismic data is presented. A high-resolution Radon transform is defined for use on seismic data. The high-resolution Radon transform is regularized using a semblance measure of the seismic data. The seismic data is processed using the high-resolution Radon transform to enhance desirable features of the seismic data. A tangible representation of the processed seismic data is presented. The semblance measure of the seismic can include a semblance measure along a dimension of the seismic data.

Abstract: The present invention comprises a non-iterative method of processing seismic traces. A constrained High Resolution Radon decomposition is performed at various frequencies in which the Radon decomposition at a given frequency is constrained as a function of the Radon decomposition at at least a lower frequency. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope of meaning of the claims.

Abstract: A computer implemented physical signal analysis method is includes two essential steps and the associated presentation techniques of the results. All the steps exist only in a computer: there are no analytic expressions resulting from the method. The first step is a computer implemented Empirical Mode Decomposition to extract a collection of Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMF) from nonlinear, nonstationary physical signals based on local extrema and curvature extrema. The decomposition is based on the direct extraction of the energy associated with various intrinsic time scales in the physical signal. Expressed in the IMF's, they have well-behaved Hilbert Transforms from which instantaneous frequencies can be calculated. The second step is the Hilbert Transform. The final result is the Hilbert Spectrum. Thus, the invention can localize any event on the time as well as the frequency axis. The decomposition can also be viewed as an expansion of the data in terms of the IMF's.

Abstract: A resistivity measurement technique estimates a first value for a first electrical parameter consistent with an assumption that each property of a measured electrical signal senses the first electrical parameter and a second electrical parameter in substantially the same volume and estimates a second value of the first electrical parameter consistent with the estimated first value and consistent with each property of the measured electrical signal sensing the first electrical parameter and the second electrical parameter in different volumes. Applying this technique, a phase conductivity may be determined from only a phase shift measurement. An attenuation conductivity may then be determined based on an attenuation measurement and the phase conductivity. Since bandwidth is limited in data telemetry to an earth surface while drilling, phase shift measurements can be telemetered without attenuation measurements for accomplishing resistivity measurements.

Abstract: A method for finding an optimal path in seismic in fill shooting using a neural network to estimate cable feathering and uses multiple off set cost maps and potentials in cellular automata. The process determines cable coordinates at each cell location and store the coordinates of a predecessor cell to eliminate multiple paths.

Abstract: Methods for downhole waveform tracking and sonic labeling employ “tracking algorithms” and Bayesian analysis to classify STC waveforms. More particularly, according to the tracking part of the invention, a probability model is built to distinguish true “arrivals” (e.g. compressional, shear, etc.) from “false alarms” (e.g. noise) before the arrivals are classified. The probability model maps the “continuity” of tracks (slowness/time over depth) and is used to determine whether sequences of measurements are sufficiently “continuous” to be classified as tracks. The probability model is used to evaluate the likelihood of the data in various possible classifications (hypotheses). Prior and posterior probabilities are constructed for each track using the tracking algorithm. The posterior probabilities are computed sequentially and recursively, updating the probabilities after each measurement frame at depth k is acquired.

Abstract: A fast, efficient and accurate pseudo 2-D inversion scheme for resistivity determination of an anisotropic formation uses data from a tool (3DEX) comprising three transmitters and three corresponding receivers sampling the formation in a plurality of spatial directions. An initial model of the formation including invasion zones is obtained using a conventional multifrequency and/or multispacing logging tool. A pseudo 2-D inversion scheme combines an accurate full 2-D forward solution of the synthetic responses of the earth model with a 1-D approximation of the sensitivity matrix of the horizontally layered anisotropic background model. The timesaving compared to a regular 2-D inversion scheme can be tremendous. The applicability of this scheme is important in cases when borehole and near-zone effects do not allow an interpretation based on 1-D inversion.

Abstract: A well logging system is disclosed having an improved speed correction apparatus and method. One embodiment comprises a logging sonde, a wireline cable, a distance sensor, a tension sensor, and a surface computer. The logging sonde moves through a wellbore while making logging measurements of the formation around the wellbore. The sonde includes an accelerometer to measure acceleration of the logging sonde. As the wireline cable is reeled in on the surface, the distance sensor detects the length of wireline cable that is retrieved. The tension sensor measures the tension in the wireline cable. The surface computer receives measurements from the accelerometer, the distance sensor, and the tension sensor, and determines intervals in which the logging tool is stuck. At least in part, this is done by finding “slow” intervals in which the wireline cable is stretching at about the same rate that the wireline cable is being reeled in.

Abstract: A fiber optic sensor system provides sufficient thermal information to determine the mass flow rates of produced fluids within a well bore, using an optical fiber placed within or adjacent to the well bore without interference with production or prejudicing the integrity of the well. Mass flow rates of fluid in a conduit (20) located in a heat sink differing in temperature from the fluid are determined by obtaining a distributed temperature profile (32) of fluid flowing along a length of conduit (15) by using optical data obtained from a length of optical fiber in thermal contact therewith, obtaining a profile of the heat sink temperature external to the conduit, and deriving mass flow rates of fluids in the conduit from the said profiles and from measured thermal transfer parameters.

Abstract: A method to detect the bright-band snow level from radar reflectivity and Doppler vertical velocity data collection with an atmospheric profiling Doppler radar. The measurement may be made available to the public through the Internet.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for determining compressional (P) wave and shear (S) wave velocities from seismic data acquired using multiple component receivers. The method includes estimating interval velocity of P waves from earth's surface to a first reflector from P wave arrivals in the seismic data. A interval ratio of P wave to S wave velocity is estimated from earth's surface to the first reflector from P-S wave arrivals in the seismic data. An S wave interval velocity is estimated from the estimated P wave interval velocity and interval ratio. A depth is determined from the earth's surface to the first reflector using each of the P wave and S wave estimated interval velocities, the depths to the first reflector estimated using each of the P wave and S wave estimated interval velocities are balanced.

Abstract: A new and useful method and system for estimating LFG generation and gas permeability in a landfill or other subsurface-gas producing body of material is provided. The gas generation rate in a portion of a landfill or other subsurface-gas producing body of material is estimated by obtaining a time history record of atmospheric pressure that is representative of atmospheric pressure at a surface boundary of the portion of the landfill or the subsurface gas producing body of material, measuring the gas pressure at least at one selected location at the landfill (or subsurface body of material) site over a time period that is included in the time history record, and using the atmospheric pressure and the measured gas pressure over the time period to estimate LFG generation rate and gas permeability of the portion of the landfill or the subsurface gas producing body of material.

Abstract: Method of predicting paraffin deposition risks during hydrocarbon production and/or transport, applicable at an early reservoir characterization and production stage. It comprises forming a database characterizing the hydrocarbons in the formation, including density data acquired by well logging and data obtained by analysis of rock samples taken from the reservoir formation, an analytical representation of the hydrocarbons by a limited number of pseudo-components comprising each certain hydrocarbon classes with a definition of their respective mass fractions and application of data of said base to a thermodynamic model for determining one or more parameters indicative of the crystallization conditions such as, for example, the starting crystallization temperature, the solid fraction that precipitates when the temperatures falls below this starting crystallization temperature, etc. Applications: hydrocarbon production field valuation.

Abstract: A real-time method is disclosed for maintaining subterranean formation stability through monitoring the interaction between the formation and fluids introduced into (or produced from ) a wellbore penetrating the formation. The method employs real-time wellbore (in)stability logging methodology. The method is exemplified by a Pore Pressure Transmission (PPT) test. In such test, test fluids are exposed to Pierre II shales (20% w/w NaCl solution and sodium silicate fluid with 20% w/w NaCl, for example) in a PPT apparatus. Membrane efficiency of the two fluids when exposed to the outcrop shale is calculated, and based on the simultaneous acquisition of acoustic data, estimation of a dynamic rock property is made.

Abstract: A method, a map and an article of manufacture for the exploration of hydrocarbons. In one embodiment of the invention, the method comprises the steps of: accessing 3D seismic data; dividing the data into an array of relatively small three-dimensional cells; determining in each cell the semblance/similarity, the dip and dip azimuth of the seismic traces contained therein; and displaying dip, dip azimuth and the semblance/similarity of each cell in the form a two-dimensional map. In one embodiment, semblance/similarity is a function of time, the number of seismic traces within the cell, and the apparent dip and apparent dip azimuth of the traces within the cell; the semblance/similarity of a cell is determined by making a plurality of measurements of the semblance/similarity of the traces within the cell and selecting the largest of the measurements.