Application of efficient ray tracing algorithms within schemes for interval velocity estimation in two and three dimensions

In this presentation we consider methods for estimation of seismic interval velocities using ray tracing as a key element. The methods under consideration shall be based on travel time observations, and they shall have the objective to produce a 2D or 3D subsurface 'macro model', that means, a subsurface representation for which the fine details have been omitted, whereas the main structural variations have been retained. Without doubt, such macro models show an interesting potential, f.ex., in ray-theoretical time-to-depth conversion and in model-dependent processing schemes (e.g., depth migration).