Why seismic attributes may become a key issue for understanding the reservoir

Rock Solid Images is a company which has brought together some eminent figures from the geoscience community to market the advanced technology needed to make the most of seismic attributes. Andrew McBarnet reports on progress so far. This may not seem like the moment to launch a new venture into the oilfield services sector but Richard Cooper, president of Rock Solid Images, says he is cautiously confident that things will work out. His reason for optimism is based as much as anything on the pioneering technology the company is offering and the geoscience pedigree behind the new enterprise which includes such distinguished names as Amos Nur and Turhan Taner. Rock Solid Images, based in Houston, started life last November through the merger of three small companies - The Discovery Bay Company, Seismic Research Corporation and Petrosoft. All three units faced the same basic dilemma of how to survive, grow and at the same time avoid being gobbled up by a bigger organisation. Cooper says 'small companies in our industry face many difficulties in planning for growth and longevity. The general pattern is for them to persist without having the strength to further develop their initial products, or to be acquired by a much larger organization, which generally fails to properly integrate their technology. Neither option is attractive to customers or employees.'