A rule based system for the determination of stacking velocities

One of the most commonly used tool for obtaining stacking velocities is the velocity spectrum. An expert system for aid in the interpretation of velocity spectra on a profile is presented. The raw velocity spectra computed by conventional seismic data processing software and a simplified description of the geological and geophysical context of the survey are input data for the system. In the expert system, the reasoning of the geophysicist picking a velocity spectrum is expressed in the form of rules using the objects of the velocity spectrum (spectrum extrema) and the information about the survey context. The generating of the search space and its filtering are carried out with heuristics specific to geophysical criteria and adapted to the velocity analysis problem.