The value of geophysical data for geothermal exploration: Examples from empirical, field, and synthetic data
Whitney Trainor‐Guitton
Abstract
Abstract The value of information (VOI) metric requires geophysicists to clearly link their measurements to important subsurface parameters in geothermal exploration, such as temperature, permeability, and fluid information. The metric quantifies the increase in the expected (average) value outcome of a decision. The decision is made with a certain type of additional information, compared to if the decision was made without the information. VOI has challenges that are similar to those faced by machine learning enthusiasts. Labeled data sets are needed in which the labels are the decision variables and the features are the geophysical observables. This paper presents three examples of how the statistical relationship, or reliability, may be calculated for geothermal exploration applications. VOI provides a way to document successes and identify opportunities for improvement in derisking geothermal prospecting with geophysical information.