Induced Polarization How-To Guide

Processing your Induced Polarization Data

This Processing your IP Data How-To Guide will introduce you to a variety of IP processing tools including how to:

1. Set up a database for IP processing

2. Adding topographic information
3. Editing distant electrode positions
4. Apply georeferencing to IP data
5. Recalculating database channels
6. Averaging duplicate samples

Set up Database for IP Processing

You can use the Set up Database for IP menu option to verify that a Geosoft database has all the necessary components
for IP processing. That is, if you have imported IP data into a normal database (i.e., you didn't use the IP|Import|IP Data
option), then the Set Up IP Database option will enable you to check and tag it as an IP database, enabling you to use all of
the specialized IP tools.

All required parameters will be highlighted with an asterisk ( ) to the left of the parameter name.

To Set up Database for IP Processing

1. Open the database you want to tag as an IP database.
2. On the IP menu, select Process and then select Set up database for IP.
The Set Up IP Database dialog appears.

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3. By default, your open database is displayed in the Database text window. If the database you wish to set is not
displayed, use the Browse ( ) button to select the file.

The Set Up IP Database option scans your input database and fills in any parameters it finds and displays the
information and channels, as the defaults.

4. For the Template file parameter, if you have a template you can select it here and then click the Load button, which
enables the system to read the file and display the pertinent information or channels in the dialog, as the defaults. Or,
if you would like to save a template file for future use, enter a name for the new template file and click the Save
button. Any outstanding information and channels will be highlighted with a warning symbol ( )
5. Select the Array type using the dropdown list, this is a required channel.
6. Based on your data, specify the Nominal direction of your data as E-W or N-S.
7. Using the dropdown lists, select the Electrodes, Tx1, Tx2, Rx1 and Rx2, all but the Tx2 are required channels.
8. Specify the A-spacing (required) and then select the distance measure, using the radio buttons directly below.
9. Using the Domain type radio buttons, select Time or Frequency. The following Measured IP parameters will change
depending on your selection.Specify the remaining Measured IP parameters, as they apply to your data.
10. Select the input Current (I) channel, and then select the Current units as Amps or miliAmps.
11. Select the input Voltage (Vp) channel, and then select the current units of voltage as Volts or miliVolts.
12. Select the input Self Potential (Sp) channel.
13. When you are satisfied with your selections, click the OK button.Your database will be tagged as an IP database,
enabling you to use all of the specialized IP tools.

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Adding Topographic Information

You can display topographic information related to the survey readings on your maps. The topographic elevations are
displayed as offsets next to the survey readings. Adding topographical information does not affect any of the data in the IP
database or any derived calculations – the elevations are for display only. In the IP system, topographical information can
be imported either from a grid or from an ASCII file. If no topography information is defined or imported, the topography for
all survey points is assumed to be 0.

To Import Topographic Information from a Grid File

1. On the IP menu, select Process, then select Sample Topography and then select Grid.
The Import Topography from a grid file dialog appears.

2. Using the Browse button ( ), select the Topography grid file. Topography values are interpolated from the input grid.
If the required location lies outside the grid, the returned value is a dummy.
3. Click OK. The surface elevation for each survey point is imported into a new database channel called Topo. In
addition, the Z channel is adjusted to take into account the topographic elevation as follows:
z = Topo − ( n ×2 a )
Save the changes you made to the database.

To Import Topographic Information from an ASCII File

This is an alternative to the above approach.

1. On the IP menu, select Process, then select Sample Topography and then select ASCII File.
The Import Topography from ASCII File dialog appears.

2. Using the Browse button ( ), select the ASCII File name. The selected ASCII (CSV) file must contain topographic
information with either commas or spaces separating values. It must have three columns of values.
3. Click OK. The surface elevation for each survey point is imported into a new database channel called Topo. In

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addition, the Z channel is adjusted to take into account the topographic elevation as follows:
z = Topo − ( n ×2 a )

Edit Distant Electrode Positions

This utility enables you to edit distant electrode positions for a selected line in the database.
For this process you can use the data set "CRPD132.FLD", which was used to import frequency domain data. This data
set has been collected in a Pole-Dipole configuration. In this instance, you must specify the location of the distant
electrode.

To Edit Distant Electrode Positions

All lines may not share the same distant electrode . You can assign the distant electrode to a set of selected lines.

1. Select all the lines in the database for this exercise.

2. From the IP menu, select Process and then select Distant Electrodes.
The Distant Electrodes dialog appears.

Two upper (read-only) fields are informational. They display the current survey line and array type.
3. Specify the following settings (as appropriate for your array type):
Current Electrode (T2X, T2Y, T2Z) – Distant current electrode positions. These are requested for Pole-Dipole,
Pole-pole, and Gradient surveys.
If X or Y is left blank, the electrode is considered to be at infinity for the purpose of calculating apparent resistivity.
If the Z value is left blank, no topographic correction can be applied for calculated resistivities.
4. Accept the default of the Lines to set for the distant electrode as Displayed lines. This creates channels for the
distant electrode locations (TX2, TY2, etc.), and fills them with the existing values. From that point on, the distant
electrode values are set in (and taken from) these channels. It is possible to have different distant electrodes for each
line.
5. Click OK. The distant electrode parameters will be set for the selected line(s).

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For more information on the parameters for each array type (i.e. Dipole-Dipole, Pole-Dipole, Pole-Pole and
Gradient), click the Help button on the Distant Electrodes dialog.

Apply Georeferencing to IP Data

IP surveys are normally done in a local coordinate system. For practical reasons, the QC of the data is also generally
conducted in a local coordinate system. In order to georeference the IP electrode positions with other geophysical and
geological information, the data needs to be transferred to a georeferenced coordinate system.

To Apply Georeferencing to IP Data

1. Open the database you want to apply georeferencing.
2. On the IP menu, select Process and then select Georeference IP Database.
The Georeference IP Database dialog appears.

3. Use the Browse ( ) button to locate the IP database you want to apply georeferencing. This database should
contain the local transmitter and receiver coordinates.

4. Use the Browse ( ) button to locate the Electrode location database. This database should contain the
georeferenced locations of the electrodes.
5. Select the Electrode position channel from the dropdown list.
6. Using the dropdown lists, select the X, Y and Z channel names from the electrode location database.
7. The Coordinate system information is added automatically, if the electrode location database carries the projection
information. Otherwise, this field becomes enabled and you can specify the projection.
8. Click the OK button and the georeference values are transferred over to the IP database.

Example of a Georeference file

Below you will see an example of a Georeference file. This file file may have any number of comment lines at the top of the
file. All comment lines must be proceeded by a double slash (//). The comment lines are not required.

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// Projection

// Type: TRANSVERSE_MERCATOR

// Name: WGS 84 / UTM zone 17N

// Units: m

// Local Datum: [WGS 84] World

//Electrode_Num Electrode_Pos Longitude Latitude X_UTM Y_UTM Z_UTM

Line 1300

1 225.00 -80.59.45.79 51.06.02.37 500276.45 5661018.71 24.120

2 250.00 -80.59.44.48 51.06.02.51 500301.81 5661022.77 24.052

3 275.00 -80.59.43.23 51.06.02.62 500326.14 5661026.46 23.928

.....

Line 1400

1 -25.00 -80.59.59.28 51.06.04.14 500014.03 5661073.23 24.220

2 0.00 -80.59.58.07 51.06.04.30 500037.49 5661078.27 24.212

3 25.00 -80.59.56.76 51.06.04.44 500063.06 5661082.66 24.184

.....

Line 1500

1 -25.00 -81.00.00.17 51.06.07.33 499996.67 5661171.71 24.280

2 0.00 -80.59.58.97 51.06.07.49 500020.13 5661176.75 24.252

3 25.00 -80.59.57.65 51.06.07.63 500045.69 5661181.14 24.216

.....

Recalculating Database Channels

You use this option after adding new data to a database.

To Recalculate all the Calculated Channels in the Database

1. On the IP menu, select Process and then select Recalculate.
Your database channels will be recalculated.

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Average Duplicate Samples

Samples are considered duplicates when two or more data exist for the same station and N value. If N is a dummy value,
all rows of data with the same station are considered duplicates.
The Average Duplicate Samples utility averages every channel in the database except for the QC and Type channels. The
averaged data are used for plotting and exporting data. If the duplicate samples in a database have not been averaged, the
last raw number is used when exporting or creating pseudo-sections.
The Type channel is used to record whether a sample is raw data (0) or averaged data (1). Only raw data are used in the
duplicate averaging process. In addition, only those samples whose value is 1 in the QC channel are included in the
average.
Averages are performed on all data that share the same X, Y, and N (if provided) values.
The Average Duplicate Samples utility runs the Recalculate utility at its conclusion, so as to average values such as
ResCalc directly from the averaged I (current) and Vp (initial voltage) channels.

To Average Duplicate Samples

1. From the IP menu, select Process and then select Average Duplicate Samples. The Average Duplicate Samples
dialog appears.

2. From the Average dropdown list, select the lines to process.

3. From the Mask Channel dropdown list, select the channel for defining the samples to be included. Only those
samples where the mask channel contains valid (non-dummy) data are included in the averaging process. Any
channel may be used as the mask channel. Optionally, a QC channel can also be used as a mask channel.

This feature is extremely useful in the frequency domain where more than one base frequency is used at a
single station. By specifying a particular base frequency’s “Amp” or “Phase” channel as the mask channel,
you include only the values from that base frequency in the average sample.

4. From the Output averages dropdown list, select an option for storing the averaged samples. Select Append to add the
averaged samples to the end of each line. The “Overwrite” option would search for previous duplicate samples with
the same station and N value. If found, these samples would be overwritten; otherwise the new averages would be
appended.
5. Click OK. The duplicate samples are averaged as requested.
6. Save changes you made to the database.
7. Close the database.

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Publication Date: January-07-16

Copyright 2016 Geosoft Inc. All rights reserved.

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