UBC Inversion
Geophysical Data Inversion Solutions
Geophysical Data Inversion Solutions
The University of British Columbia, Geophysical Inversion Facility, has for many years been at the leading edge of geophysical inversion technology with sponsorship from leading exploration companies and government organisations.
Some of the research applications have been released for commercial use and can be purchased through Pitney Bowes Software.
Programs Available From Pitney Bowes Software
The programs available from Pitney Bowes Software are MAG3D and GRAV3D for voxel model based potential field inversion, EM1DFM for frequency domain layered inversion, DCIP2D and DCIP3D for resistivity and IP inversion.
MAG3D
Mag3D is a program for carrying out forward modelling and smooth inversion of surface, airborne, and/or borehole magnetic data in three dimensions.
MAG3D uses a semi-regular 3D mesh where each volume element (voxel) is allocated a magnetic susceptibility and the distribution of magnetic properties created by the inversion assists with the understanding of the subsurface geology.
GRAV3D
GRAV3D is a program for carrying out forward modelling and smooth inversion of surface, airborne, and/or borehole gravity data in three dimensions.
GRAV3D uses a semi-regular 3D mesh where each volume element (voxel) is allocated a density and the distribution of densities created by the inversion assists with the understanding of the subsurface geology.
DCIP2D
DCIP2D is a program that performs forward modelling and inversion of DC resistivity and IP data in two dimensions. All linear survey surface-array types, including non-standard or un-even arrays, can be inverted.
The research was funded principally by the mineral industry consortium "Joint and Cooperative Inversion of Geophysical and Geological Data" which was sponsored by the Canadian National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the following companies:
- BHP Minerals
- CRA Exploration
- Cominco Exploration
- Falconbridge
- Hudson Bay Exploration and Development
- INCO Exploration & Technical Services
- Kennecott Exploration Company
- Newmont Gold Company
- Noranda Exploration
- Placer Dome
- WMC
DCIP3D
DCIP3D is a program that performs forward modelling and inversion of DC resistivity and IP data over a 3D distribution of electrical conductivity and chargeability.
DCIP3D is one of the most advanced 3D inversion codes available in the public domain and can be used to invert complex surveys in variable topographic conditions.
The research was funded principally by the mineral industry consortium "3D Inversion of DC Resistivity and IP Data" which was sponsored by the Canadian National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the following companies:
- Placer Dome
- BHP Minerals
- Cominco Exploration
- Falconbridge
- INCO Exploration & Technical Services
- Newmont Gold Company
- Rio Tinto
EM1DFM
EM1DFM is a powerful application used for the inversion of almost any ground or airborne frequency domain survey data.
NOTICE: Because we offer many custom solutions, it is our policy not to post pricing on our website. Please contact our knowledgeable staff to select and price products that fit your organisation's budget, number of users, IT environment, data requirements, support and training needs. We apologise for any inconvenience.
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MAG3D Features
Four levels of geological constraints are supported by MAG3D and can be applied prior to commencement of inversion.
Geological constraints include:
- No constraints - results in a smooth distribution of magnetic susceptibility
- Range limited - easy to implement with improved geological outcomes
- Starting model - minimum departure constraint for known geology
- Advanced weighting - the user defines advanced geological constraints
The first method is the most commonly used method of inversion, but the results are limited in value when available geological data is ignored. By simply including an unconformity surface, users can focus the inversion along the unconformity.
GRAV3D Features
Four levels of geological constraints are supported by GRAV3D and can be applied prior to commencement of inversion.
Geological constraints include:
- No constraints - results in a smooth distribution of density
- Range limited - easy to implement with improved geological outcomes
- Starting model - minimum departure constraint for known geology
- Advanced weighting - the user defines advanced geological constraints
The first method is the most commonly used method of inversion, but the results are limited in value when available geological data is ignored. By simply including an unconformity surface, you can focus the inversion along the unconformity.
Extensions to Encom ModelVision: UBC Model-Mesh Designer
The UBC Model - Mesh Designer optional module for Encom ModelVision allows you to create both the range limited and starting model constraint styles for MAG3D and GRAV3D, which in turn deliver improved geological outcomes
Encom PA and Encom ModelVision are available from Pitney Bowes Software for integration of other models and data along with construction of the geological constraints.
DCIP2D Fetaures
- Build the starting models
- Run the inversion
- View the results
The DCIP2D GUI only works with dipole-dipole, pole-dipole and pole-pole arrays. Wenner, Schlumberger, gradient, and other arrays can all be inverted but the user interface does not yet handle those types of arrays.
Need more information?
The theoretical framework for DCIP2D is provided in the paper: Oldenburg, D.W, and Li, Y., 1994, Inversion of Induced Polarization Data, Geophysics, vol 59 p 1327-1341.
Array types that can be inverted:
- All linear survey surface-array types, including non-standard or un-even arrays, can be inverted. The only limitation is that the mesh must be designed so that electrodes are on mesh nodes. This must be remembered if horizontal distances are not regular, such as when line positions were not corrected for topography.
- Inversion for a 2D model of the earth implies that data were gathered along a survey line at the surface.
- DCIP2D considers the subsurface in terms of a mesh of rectangular cells. In terms of size, there are usually two cells between electrode positions, and cells are half as thick as their width.
- There must be several cells of increasing size on all three sides outside the region where current has been injected.
DCIP3D Features
- Programs in the library work with data that are acquired using general electrode configurations and at arbitrary observation locations either on the earth's surface or in a borehole.
- 3D surface topography is also fully incorporated in the modelling and inversion.
- There is no graphical user interface for running the DCIP3D forward or inversion codes.
- The UBC-GIF utility MeshTools3D can be used to view 3D models of conductivity or chargeability.
- MeshTools3D can also build 3D synthetic blocky models.
Need more information?
Carrying out 3D forward modelling and inversion is non-trivial. There are no tutorials for using this code, however the complete technical manual and examples of results are available at the University of British Columbia-Geophysical Inversion Facility website.
There is also a paper entitled 2-D and 3-D IP/resistivity inversion for the interpretation of Mt Isa-style targets.
Visualisation of Inversion Results
- Encom PA can be used for visualisation of the inversion results and hence the inclusion of other geological and geophysical data
EM1DFM Features
EM1DFM is suitable for advanced EM users and a self-contained program that provides a layered earth inversion engine that can be used for both discrete and smooth inversion outputs.
Features include:
- Airborne FEM surveys
- Ground FEM surveys
- Conductivity inversion
- Magnetic susceptibility inversion from FEM
- Flexible EM instrumentation specification
- X,Y,Z Receiver orientation
- X,Y,Z Transmitter orientation
- Discrete layer inversion
- Smooth layer inversion
- Powerful UBC-GIF inversion engine
Cross Compare Inversion Results
EM1DFM can be used as a companion to Encom EM Flow for the purpose of cross-comparison of the inversion results. Inversion results can be imported into Encom PA for display as sections or in 3D displays.
Supported Operating Systems:
- Microsoft Windows 7
- Windows XP
- Windows Vista
Supported File Formats:
- Please refer to the University of British Columbia-Geophysical Inversion Facility (UBC-GIF) website
Minimum Memory Requirements:
- 512MB
Minimum Disk Space:
- 50MB each to store the executable and supporting files
Supported Applications:
- 32-bit
- 64-bit
Supported Languages:
- English
Software Installation:
The UBC programs are available on CD in 32- or 64-bit, or for download by contacting us at natural.resources@pb.com
Technical Manuals:
- UBC MAG3D User Manual
- UBC GRAV3D User Manual
- UBC DCIP2D User Manual
- UBC DCIP3D User Manual
- UBC EM1DFM User Manual
Additional Information:
Support
All UBC-GIF inversion codes are provided on an "as-is" basis and a license does not provide explicit access to support or upgrades from either Pitney Bowes Software or UBC-GIF, except in the event of "bugs" in the software.