Optimizing performance of data processing

The industry associates data processing with the application of geophysical algorithms to seismic data, but this definition is too narrow. We should consider a broader meaning particularly in these times of increased automation, and time and cost consciousness. If processing is a method to produce information from the manipulation of data, then we should consider the framework that enables this process. A system must exist to facilitate the work. Generally, systems are a collection of computers, networks, processes and to a lesser extent people. For any given input, they create an output, which in seismic data processing can be the application of a geophysical algorithm, or it can be reordering, reducing or aggregating data. In this system, the headline grabbing geophysical process may only be a small part of the work. The underlying framework needs to be as efficient as it can be, either managing the data, enabling the geophysical process, or both.