Abstract: System and method for guiding a drill using a subsurface model generated by successive full waveform inversions (FWI) on surface data and seismic-while-drilling (SWD) data. A server receives surface data from at least one surface sensor that records elastic energy radiated from surface seismic source and SWD data from at least one surface or at least one subsurface crosswell sensor (i.e., deployed in a nearby well). The server also receives top-drive measurements. A drillbit source signature estimation is performed, on the SWD data, by the server by blind deconvolution or by using drill string modeling and top-drive measurements. The server then performs FWI on the surface data by using the background subsurface velocity obtained by kinematic analysis of surface seismic data, to obtain an updated approximation of the subsurface velocity. The new approximation along with the drillbit source signature is then used when performing FWI on the SWD data.

Abstract: System and method for guiding a drill using a subsurface model generated by successive full waveform inversions (FWI) on surface data and seismic-while-drilling (SWD) data. A server receives surface data from at least one surface sensor that records elastic energy radiated from surface seismic source and SWD data from at least one surface or at least one subsurface crosswell sensor (i.e., deployed in a nearby well). The server also receives top-drive measurements. A drillbit source signature estimation is performed, on the SWD data, by the server by blind deconvolution or by using drill string modeling and top-drive measurements. The server then performs FWI on the surface data by using the background subsurface velocity obtained by kinematic analysis of surface seismic data, to obtain an updated approximation of the subsurface velocity. The new approximation along with the drillbit source signature is then used when performing FWI on the SWD data.