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Corruption and loss: ptifalls in seismic data management
- Source: First Break, Volume 22, Issue 9, Sep 2004,
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- 01 Sep 2004
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Abstract
Can you really trust your data? Eleanor Jack, senior geophysicist, Landmark Graphics, offers some cautionary tales about what can go wrong with stored seismic data and what companies can do to better manage and protect their data. It is usually assumed, at least by the data owner, that when copying data from one medium to another, all the data on the original are safely transferred to their destination. Data management papers generally tend to reinforce this view, with flow charts using boxes and arrows to indicate data transfer, which by implication is seamless and trouble-free. But sadly this is not always the case, as this paper will demonstrate. Data can get lost or corrupted and this corruption waits unnoticed, like a sleeper, until the data are needed. Data transcription and copying are generally outsourced activities performed by a specialist company. Such a company will be expert at transferring data in the most efficient manner, with well-tried transcription software to translate the various acquisition and processing formats into the standard exchange format, SEG-Y. All reputable transcription companies will also perform some level of quality control. However, a combination of cost pressures and lack of understanding of the nature of the data and their formats mean that a significant percentage of data is archived with hidden corruption or loss. Some typical examples, which escaped this initial QC check, are shown here.