Acquisition geometry analysis with point-spread functions

Seismic data are traditionally acquired based on spatial sampling requirements, noise properties and budgetary constraints. However, designing a survey without taking into account the complexity of the subsurface may result in an image without the expected quality. Also, the subsequent preprocessing and processing steps may exploit or misuse the acquired data. The design should therefore incorporate the complexity of the subsurface and the (pre)processing steps that will be followed. We propose an analysis method that evaluates if the proposed combination of survey design, preprocessing and processing for a specific subsurface model fulfils a pre-defined quality criterion. With our method, we estimate a set of point-spread functions that correspond to the chosen combination, and we analyse their resolution and illumination-detection properties in the spatial and wavenumber domains, respectively. The estimated point-spread functions include the scattering and propagation effects generated by the subsurface, including internal multiples. We show that in some cases, the use of internal multiples in imaging can improve amplitude and resolution compared with the use of primaries only. The proposed analysis method is also used to evaluate the effect of blending noise when blended acquisition is carried out.