Shearwater uses state-of-the art seismic vessels and equipment to explore the seabed and processes the data using market-leading proprietary software. The Norwegian company will collaborate with the Zurich-based start-up Mondaic to improve visualisation of subsurface structures and enhances reservoir understanding. Furthermore, Shearwater has acquired an equity stake in Mondaic.
Shearwater Geoservices Holding, the world’s leading marine seismic acquisition company, and Mondaic AG, a provider of proprietary software and services for high-resolution 3D imaging, have entered a strategic collaboration for development and use of full waveform inversion solutions to enhance high-resolution subsurface imaging and optimize seismic acquisition surveys.
As part of the agreement, Shearwater has acquired exclusive and perpetual rights for the use and further development for subsurface applications of Mondaic’s wavefield simulation and inversion codes. Full waveform inversion is a key seismic data processing technology that improves visualisation of subsurface structures, enhances reservoir understanding and helps planning and execution of more efficient surveys.
“We are thrilled to welcome Shearwater as a strategic investor. This partnership will advance Mondaic’s technology across all scales and industries, and it is a significant driver to accelerate our growth,” said the Co-Founders and Directors of Mondaic Michael Afanasiev, Christian Boehm and Lion Krischer.
Founded in 2018 as a spin-off from ETH Zurich, Mondaic develops innovative and performant software for high-resolution 3-D imaging using ultrasonic or seismic waves. The company offers scalable end-to-end solutions and digital twins for simulating waveform propagation in complex media, imaging, and full-waveform inversion. Utilizing cutting-edge research results, including innovations across all components, results are delivered faster, at lower costs, and with increased reliability. Mondaic has a broad user community in industry and academia. Its flagship software Salvus has been used in millions of simulations by clients on five different continents.
Important tool for subsurface exploration
Full waveform inversion is an integral part of the seismic processing value chain for subsurface exploration, characterization and monitoring due to its ability to estimate high-resolution subsurface property models in areas of complex geology with limited human user intervention. The technology is also expected to play a strategic role for characterization and monitoring of subsurface carbon storage sites and in site surveys for wind farms.
Both companies are committed to collaborate on the development and use of full waveform inversion going forward. Mondaic will be furthering the application of the jointly developed codes for ultrasonic non-destructive testing, material characterization, medical imaging, and other non-subsurface applications. During 2024, Shearwater’s acoustic finite differences full waveform inversion will be gradually replaced by Mondaic’s elastic spectral elements code that can model subsurface wavefield and waveforms to the highest level of precision.
“Due to its unlimited modelling capabilities, this technology offers a higher level of inversion precision than conventional approaches. It is not only computationally efficient but also scalable, catering to a wide range of needs and complexities,” explained Sergio Grion, Chief Geophysicist - Processing Technology of Shearwater.
(Press release / SK)
Please login or sign up to comment.
Commenting guidelines