GIS + NMR + VDI (Vertical Data Integration): A Full Service Package!

How smart presurveying saves time, money and nerves when it comes to drilling

for groundwater.

Drilling into the Earth can be quite an adventure – sometimes dangerous, occasionally very rewarding… but not always! I spent many years at sea, participating in (mostly scientific) drilling campaigns. And I’ve seen it all: from nothing but empty sediment (as the Berliner says, “Nüscht” ("nothing") – or in Bavaria, “Nixen” (...)), to stuck drill strings requiring explosive release, and of course: the loss of expensive drilling and logging equipment. Been there, seen it, lived through it.

📽️ Video Animation #1: If you want to explore what lies underground, it’s best to have a solid idea of where and how deep to drill. In scientific ocean drilling, we had to submit strong seismic data even just for a “Pre-Proposal” – and often much more robust data for a full proposal. And even that wasn’t always enough to get a drilling expedition approved. The lesson? Robust data is key – no matter the method.

📽️ Video Animation #2: It takes a full portfolio of strong arguments to get a drilling project approved – for good reason. The costs are high, and so are the financial and safety risks. A failed borehole – a “dry run” – can quickly turn into a nightmare for the responsible project team. Some industry anecdotes even speak of project leads who “jumped from the helicopter” after a drilling disaster spiraled out of control – especially in mining or oil and gas. It may sound dramatic, but unfortunately, it’s often bitter reality.The Schechen Pilot Project – small region, big insights

Our pilot project in Schechen (→ LINK) was designed to be modest in scope and urgency. Still, over the past weeks, it has turned into a fine example of regional pioneering work:

• Despite suboptimal conditions (such as high EM noise levels), our Geo-MR surveys produced plausible results.

• The core images, although also imperfect in quality, were used to develop the first VDI (Vertical Data Integration) module – fully in an open-source format.

• A GIS-based site analysis was added later and now completes the full integration of all data streams.

So far, so good. But the question remains: Couldn’t we have approached this more strategically from the start?

🖼️ PHOTO PANEL 1: Our GIS analysis reveals the approximate layout of groundwater flow paths and aquifer distribution – and matches surprisingly well with our measurement results. At the drilling location, available data suggested a groundwater-bearing layer or at least some reservoir. The result: low yield. This was confirmed quite clearly by both the Geo-MR data and the VDI-based visualization.

Looking Back – and Forward: Smart borehole pre-survey

This was the actual workflow:

1. Pre-survey using geoelectrics,

2. Drilling,

3. Post-survey with NMR,

4. GIS analysis (See above).

Here’s the sequence we recommend – and have now embedded in our general service model:

1. GIS site analysis as screening,

2. Pre-survey with geoelectrics & NMR,

3. Then – and only then: drilling.

4. Open-source geodata processing (VDI)

With that approach, drilling may have been avoided altogether – because the actual yield fell significantly short of expectations. That could have saved a substantial amount of money (especially for the local municipality – even if the client was probably still happy overall).

Outlook

We’re currently hoping for a second NMR test survey in July – ideally under warmer conditions and with an even more optimized technical setup. The exploration for this precious resource will continue – now with more experience, more data intelligence, and one clear goal:Smart groundwater exploration – by design.

Carpe-H2O | Panta Rhei Bavarese | VDI + GIS + MMR