Processing data representing a physical system

A program embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium and including computer program code configured to control a computer to perform a method comprising the steps of:

• receiving input seismic reflection data representing differences in a geological structure of the reservoir between a first state and a second state of the geological structure, wherein one of the states may be a synthetic reference state;
• inverting the input seismic reflection data to obtain characteristic seismic attributes for the geological structure;
• inverting the input seismic attributes, or data derived therefrom, in accordance with a parameterised model of the geological structure to obtain differences in the parameters of the model between the first state and the second state, with parameters of the model representing reservoir properties of the geological structure, wherein the inversion is an inversion of d=Ap+e, where d represents the input seismic, attributes, p represents the differences in the parameters of the model A is a forward modelling operator for the model concerned, and e is an error term;
• performing the inverting step for a plurality of different perturbations of the parameterised model and of the input seismic attributes to obtain a plurality of sets of differences in the parameters of the model, wherein the pertubations of the model are variations in the forward modelling operator A;
• and
• performing a statistical analysis of the plurality of sets of differences to obtain statistical characteristics of the differences in the parameters of the model, wherein said statistical characteristics are for making drilling and drainage decisions regarding the reservoir.

A computer programmed to perform a method comprising the steps of:

• receiving input seismic reflection data representing differences in a geological structure of the reservoir between a first state and a second state of the geological structure, wherein one of the states may be a synthetic reference state;
• inverting the input seismic reflection data to obtain characteristic seismic attributes for the geological structure;
• inverting the input seismic attributes, or data derived therefrom, in accordance with a parameterised model of the geological structure to obtain differences in the parameters of the model between the first state and the second state, with parameters of the model representing reservoir properties of the geological structure, wherein the inversion is an inversion of d=Ap+e, where d represents the input seismic attributes, p represents the differences in the parameters of the model, A is a forward modelling operator for the model concerned, and e is an error term;
• performing the inverting step for a plurality of different perturbations of the parameterised model and of the input seismic attributes to obtain a plurality of sets of differences in the parameters of the model, wherein the pertubations of the model are variations in the forward modelling operator A;
• and
• performing a statistical analysis of the plurality of sets of differences to obtain statistical characteristics of the differences in the parameters of the model, wherein said statistical characteristics are for making drilling and drainage decisions regarding the reservoir.

An apparatus for processing seismic reflection data representing a geological structure, the apparatus being configured to perform a method comprising the steps of:

• receiving input seismic reflection data representing differences in a geological structure of the reservoir between a first state and a second state of the geological structure, wherein one of the states may be a synthetic reference state;
• inverting the input seismic reflection data to obtain characteristic seismic attributes for the geological structure;
• inverting the input seismic attributes, or data derived therefrom, in accordance with a parameterised model of the geological structure to obtain differences in the parameters of the model between the first state and the second state, with parameters of the model representing reservoir properties of the geological structure, wherein the inversion is an inversion of d=Ap+e, where d represents the input seismic attributes, p represents the differences in the parameters of the model A is a forward modelling operator for the model concerned, and e is an error term;
• performing the inverting step for a plurality of different perturbations of the parameterised model and of the input seismic attributes to obtain a plurality of sets of differences in the parameters of the model, wherein the pertubations of the model are variations in the forward modelling operator A;
• and
• performing a statistical analysis of the plurality of sets of differences to obtain statistical characteristics of the differences in the parameters of the model, wherein said statistical characteristics are for making drilling and drainage decisions regarding the reservoir.