Geoelectrical Imaging 2D & 3D

Geoelectrical Imaging 2D & 3D

Geotomo Software

115, Cangkat Minden Jalan 5, Minden Heights, 11700 Gelugor, Penang, Malaysia.

Tel : +60 4 6574525, Fax:+60 4 6588437, Hand Phone : +60 16 4926707

email : geotomo@tm.net.my & geoelectrical@yahoo.co.uk

New dimensions in Resistivity & IP imaging

Fast inversions in Windows 98/Me/2000/NT/XP - 2D & 3D - On land, underwater and cross-borehole

IP included with resistivity without extra costs

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Over the last 10 years, there has been a revolutionary change in the resistivity (and IP) surveying method. Until the early 1990's, the resistivity method has been used as a one-dimensional (1D) tool where quantitative modelling was confined to simple horizontal layers which are not sufficiently accurate for complex geological environments. However due to recent developments in field equipment design, interpretation software and microcomputer technology, two-dimensional (2D) and even three-dimensional (3D) surveys are now practical geophysical exploration tools for environmental and engineering studies.

Over the last few years, there has been an explosive growth in the number of commercial multi-electrode resistivity meter systems for electrical imaging surveys. A link to the web sites of a few of the companies involved are given below. If you are looking for a consultant to carry a resistivity/IP imaging survey, a list is also provided. A set of free lecture notes (Spanish version aso available) which cover a number of practical aspects of 2D and 3D electrical imaging surveys, including field methodology and data interpretation, is also provided.

The second development that has made 2D and 3D electrical imaging surveys practical tools is fast interpretation software that can be used on commonly available Windows based microcomputers. At this site, you can download working demo versions of the RES2DINV and RES3DINV inversion software. The demo versions have some limitations, but you can use them to invert most common resistivity and IP data sets. For current RES2DINV and RES3DINV users, you can update the software by just downloading the same files. Unlike most commercial geophysical software, updates at present are free.

RES2DINV is the 2D resistivity and IP inversion software. Besides normal land surface surveys, it also supports underwater and cross-borehole surveys. In addition to the standard Wenner (alpha, beta, gamma), Wenner-Schlumberger, pole-pole, pole-dipole, inline dipole-dipole, equatorial dipole-dipole arrays; it also supports non-conventional electrode arrangements. It is probably an order of magnitude faster than some other commercially available 2D inversion software. The program supports survey lines with up to 16000 electrodes and 27000 data points.

RES3DINV is the 3D resistivity and IP inversion software, and it is probably the first widely available commercial software of this type. 3D surveys are more time-consuming and expensive to carry out, but could be useful for very complex geological situations. To reduce costs to the user, RES3DINV is sold as a combined package with RES2DINV which costs only about 25% more than the RES2DINV program alone. It supports surveys with up to about 6240 electrodes and 75000 data points. In addition to surveys with a traditional rectangular grid of electrodes, it also supports surveys with trapezoidal grids which is common in rugged and/or forested areas. It now supports parallel calculations on Pentium 4 CPUs that significantly reduces the inversion time for very large survey grids. On a modern Pentiun 4 based microcomputer, the data inversion takes less than a minute for small surveys with 100 electrodes in a flat area, to a day for extermely large surveys with with thousands of electrodes in rugged terrain. Support for mult-core CPUs is now available with RES3DINVx32.

On this site, you can also download free 2D and 3D forward modelling software. RES2DMOD is the 2D resistivity and IP forward modelling program, while RES3DMOD is the 3D version.

To obtain more information about the software, or to download the demos/updates/freeware, just click the appropriate link in the left panel.

For the latest software and manuals updates, as well as papers on electrical imaging, please check the Downloads page of this web site.

For the price list, company policy on faulty/lost/stolen dongles, please check the Ordering and Enquiries page.