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Standard for Exchange of Digital Seismic Data, Recommended by TNO

Seismic datasets consist of navigation, velocity and signal (post-stack) data. In addition there is
accompanying information about the data, which is e.g. stored in the headers of the files concerned or in
separate acquisition and/or processing reports.

1. Accompanying Information
All three datasets should contain in their headers:
- name of the owner
- name of the area (toponym)
- 2D or 3D
- period of acquisition (last day of acquisition: of day, month and year)
- company code for the project (if applicable)

It is strongly recommended that the line names used in the navigation, velocity and signal data sets
match exactly.
Line numbers and CDP-numbers for the navigation, velocity and signal data must correspond.
The data should be accompanied by its outline for 3D, (on paper or as ASCII-file) or by a map indicating
the location of each line.

Reports that describe the acquisition and processing of the data can be sent as paper report, word, rtf or

The header should at least contain:
- date and/or version number of the dataset
- date of preparation of the file, tape or other medium
- co-ordinate system, geodetic datum (e.g. ED50 or RD) and the specifications of the projection used
- in the case of 2D lines : for each line or line-segment the relationship needs to be indicated between
the SP-number in the data record and the CDP-number (as used in the SEGY dataset) of the trace
which is located at that mentioned SP-number.

The header should contain:
- type of velocity (e.g. stacking, DMO, migration)
- date of the completion of the processing
- indication to what kind of SP the velocity-time pairs are attached (e.g. CMP, shotpoint, geophone
position). For 2D lines, see remark for navigation data.

Signal (SEGY):
- processing contractor
- description of the processing sequence
- date of the completion of the processing
- grid inline and crossline interval for 3D and nominal CDP-interval for 2D

2. Data Formats
Preferably UKOOA P1/84 (see e.g. First Break 1985, vol. 3, No 10) or UKOOA P1/90 (see First Break
1991, vol. 9, No 4), or SEG (Shell SPS format) (see Geophysics 1995, vol. 60, No2).

Standard for Digital Seismic Data, Recommended by TNO 1/5

If the standard navigation file is not available, for 3D, also a definition of the bin-grid can be given. E.g.
by supplying corner points coordinates and line/bin numbers.

The Standard velocity format, with 6 velocity/time pairs per record of 80 characters (e.g. NAM,
ShellV5) is preferred above e.g. EssoV2.



Standard SEG-Y format should be used. Preferably the data format used is 4 bytes floating point (data
sample format code = 1). Data samples should be at least 16 significant bits.

Concerning 3D surveys additional requirements are:

- the traces have to be sorted according to inlines
- each inline has to be followed with a "EOF" mark; so each inline starts with an EBCDIC and a binary
- compound bin-numbers may be used, but then the inline and crossline numbers need to be indicated

The following byte locations are mandatory:

binary header
* 3205 - 3208 = line number (numerical part of line name)
* 3213 - 3214 = number of data traces per record
* 3217 - 3218 = sample interval in s
* 3221 - 3222 = number of samples per data trace
* 3225 - 3226 = data sample format code
* 3227 - 3228 = nominal CDP fold

trace header
* 001 - 004 = trace sequence number within line (first trace of each line is 1)
* 021 - 024 = CDP ensemble number
* 029 - 030 = trace identification code
* 115 - 116 = number of samples in this trace
* 117 - 118 = sample interval in s
- line number
- compound number in stead of line number and cdp-number
- co-ordinates may also be given in the trace header; the co-ordinate system should be indicated in the
accompanying information.

Please Note:
- the values of number of samples and sample interval in the binary header should be equal to those
in the trace header,
- the real number of samples in a trace should be equal to the value written in the binary and trace

Data can be either packed or one line per file. The latter is preferred.
In case packed segy-files are supplied, each packed file must be smaller than 2 Gb.
Whether the data are packed should be indicated on the tape or disk label.

Standard for Digital Seismic Data, Recommended by TNO 2/5

If data are packed, it must be done in such a way that no lines are split over two packed files. For packed
data, the line number must be indicated in the trace header.

3. Media and Information

- The signal, navigation- and velocity data are preferred on DVD, CD an USB hard-disk or (Exabyte)
8mm tape.

Media should have labels with the above mentioned information.

If an usb-disk is used, please provide a readme-file with the above mentioned information.

On the tape or disk label the following items should be indicated:

- operator
- survey name and project number (if applicable)
- year of acquisition (end of acquisition dd-mm-yyyy as precise as possible)
- type of data (e.g. CDP position, DMO velocity, final filtered 3D migration)
- format (e.g. P1/84, SEGY, packed or not, TAR if applicable)
- range of inlines (and crosslines)

When signal, navigation and velocity data are stored on tape with the UNIX tar or dd commands, the
correct commands to retrieve the data have to be indicated.

Standard for Digital Seismic Data, Recommended by TNO 3/5

Information sheet Seismic surveys



Name of the owner

Name of the area (toponym)

2D or 3D

Period of acquisition or, at least,

last day of acquisition (day, month and year)
Period of processing or, at least, the last day of
the processing (day, month, year)
Company code for the project (if applicable)


Navigationdata ukooafile includedintraceheader.

Navigationdataincludedin UTM31,TM5orother,pleasespecify:..





Signaldatais tarredpackedonefileperline.

Standard for Digital Seismic Data, Recommended by TNO 4/5

Standard for Digital Seismic Data, Recommended by TNO 5/5