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Geophysical technologies
are going to play a crucial role...
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to meet the world's increasing demand
for energy in the decades to come.
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A lot more hydrocarbons will be needed,
as the world's population grows so fast.
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Having access to large new resources
of oil and gas...
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will buy us time to make the transition
to renewable energy sources.
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The challenge
we geophysicists are faced with...
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is that in the pursuit
of these large, new resources...
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we are looking for more and more
difficult to find hydrocarbons.
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These might be buried
several kilometres in the ground...
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hidden under complex
geological formations such as salt...
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located under ice shields
in the Arctic...
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or just captured in small accumulations
that are simply difficult to detect.
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Of all the international
oil companies...
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Shell probably has the strongest
overall reputation in geophysics.
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We are definitely in the forefront
of using...
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one of the main tools of geophysics,
namely; seismic imaging.
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Seismic imaging plays an essential role
in finding oil and gas deposits.
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We measure sound waves, bouncing off
potentially hydrocarbon bearing rocks...
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which we then use to compute an image
of these layers below the ground...
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or under the sea bottom.
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Salt layers form a shield
that interferes with seismic waves...
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so that we cannot see
the underlying formations.
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A promising novel
seismic technique today...
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enables us to illuminate
below these seismic shields.
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Unfortunately, the technique
is not cheap...
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as it involves placing hundreds
of sensors on the sea floor.
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Therefore we are currently
only using it on a small scale.
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But already it dramatically increased the
probability of finding hydrocarbons...
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for example in the Gulf of Mexico,
where this picture is taken...
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sometimes leading
to billions of dollars of value...
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from the hundreds of millions
of barrels of oil we've discovered.
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To deploy this measurement technique
on a larger scale, costs must be reduced.
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While its quality and robustness
may need to be further improved.
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This would allow us to make
more precise measurements more often.
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This seems
an almost impossible task...
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and it poses a significant challenge
to the R&D community.
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In Shell we are convinced
that by working with partners...
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sometimes outside our industry...
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we can develop innovative concepts
that meet this challenge.
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Such unusual R&D alliances have proven
to be rich sources of innovation for us.
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One example is our collaboration
with Hewlett-Packard.
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In this project we are developing
a wireless sensing network...
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that could revolutionise the way
we gather seismic data.
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Some day this technology may allow us
to cost effectively collect...
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up to two orders of magnitude
of more seismic data...
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that is more precise, more robust
and can be taken more frequently.
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This then would immediately
pose another challenge.
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How do we process
and manage all that data?
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This creates significant R&D challenges
to the computing industry.
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Which is why such alliances
are perhaps not so unusual:
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We are pretty much driven
into each other's arms.
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What really motivates us to team up
with these important players...
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and form R&D partnerships,
is to bring in more new ideas...
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and quickly test them for applicability,
to solve our challenges.
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For geophysics that is paramount.
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And computing, medical and defence
industries, and even Hollywood...
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are becoming relevant to helping us
solve our geophysical problems.
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For example, the development of largescale MRI and ultrasound techniques...
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in the medical sciences,
has led to interesting concepts...
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that are also relevant in geophysics.
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Similarly, the computer rendering and
animation, used to create 3D movies...
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may help us to visualise
large amounts of seismic data.
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In other words: We can learn something
from how DreamWorks made <i>Avatar</i>.
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In fact, the pace of innovation
has dramatically accelerated...
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and is now more driven
by market demands.
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This means we need to be flexible
and willing to co-operate...
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with new, sometimes unexpected partners
and on much more accelerated timeframes.
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Of course it is one thing to increase
the number of ideas by partnering...
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but to be effective
you also need to cull ideas.
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Culling early is very important.
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I use to say: The best researcher
is the one that fails fast.
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You have to be able to let go
and learn at the same time.
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You may think there
is a geophysicist in an attic...
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working out a single solution
that could revolutionise the business.
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In reality it is a diverse effort.
Not just a research effort...
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but often the ideas are initiated
on the business side.
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Bringing the ideas to full maturity
for innovation to be effective...
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requires a clear line of sight...
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and linking the research and business
teams in an ongoing relationship.
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As the chief scientist for geophysics
in Shell...
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it is very gratifying and exciting for me
to help create that vision...
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and provide the space and energy for
people to work together and get aligned.
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These are exciting times, as much more
is possible today than a few years ago.
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To make full use of emerging
opportunities requires courage...
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technical intuition, combined
with a good business sense...
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and an entrepreneurial attitude.
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I'm excited to see more and more
of these qualities appearing...
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in the technology groups, here in Shell.
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It is these qualities; innovation spirit
and drive of our people...
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that make me confident that in 2 or 3
years Shell will be clearly ahead...
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in getting business value
from new geophysical technologies.