Achieving High System Availability in Wireless Seismic Networks through Network Automation

We will discuss how multiple new techniques have been integrated to enable the deployment of a highly automated, radio-based, seismic recording and collection system that can operate efficiently at very high channel counts. The goal in developing this system is to make it effectively self-sustaining, so that it will consistently deliver both high System Availability and high Data Availability. System Availability is the percentage of time that a system can meet the requirements of the mission. Data Availability is the percentage of time that the majority of the seismic data and the related QC data are available to the Observer in real-time, where these data can be used to positively affect the quality of the seismic survey being recorded.

As onshore seismic crews grow to hundreds of thousands of deployed channels, it becomes a requirement that the operation of the recording system becomes effectively automated, where the Observer does not have to manage the minute-by-minute actions required to keep the system operating efficiently. Simultaneously, the Observer needs to monitor and manage the performance of the system in real-time and to easily and efficiently make local and global adjustments to the system operation to ensure optimal data quality and productivity.