Dr. Callum Walter discusses the benefits of drone surveys when taking on dirty, dangerous, and demanding jobs. He highlights the similarities and differences compared to other geophysical surveys and the unique difficulties when collecting data by drones. Callum outlines a few case studies currently benefiting from drones, the possibility of rocket-powered drones, and using drones in off-world environments. Callum also offers when drones could be right for your project profile.

What sets the seismic method apart from other geophysical exploration methods is its ability to deliver three-dimensional high-resolution images of the subsurface. Ramesh (Neelsh) Neelamani traces the history of the seismic method to showcase recent breakthroughs and future advancements. This episode is a wide-ranging exploration of seismic resolution based on seven new papers in The Leading Edge.

As highlighted by five papers in The Leading Edge, guest editor Katie Baker explores seismic reservoir modeling. Katie showcases the key technological advancements that unlocked seismic in defining and updating reservoir models and the historical connection between seismic data sets and reservoir modeling. She also explains the power and future of ensemble modeling and spotlights an alternative to the arduous training libraries for machine learning and seismic. 

Heather Bedle and Chris Garneau explore public misperceptions of geohazards, the power of experiencing earthquakes, and ways to improve scientific communication with the public. This episode breaks down geohazards and their impact on the public and provides actionable steps for geoscientists to study geohazards better and discuss their work with others.

This is the first special section dedicated to planetary geophysics in the 40-year history of The Leading Edge. Alexander Braun highlights the differences geophysicists should consider when applying their skills to planetary geophysics and the types of geophysical tools and techniques that work well on other planets. He also explains why Jurassic Park gives a poor impression of geophysics and how geophysical techniques on the moon helped turtles on Earth. This fun and engaging conversation will offer insight to scientists working in any environment.

Steve Darnell discusses how digital transformation improves business processes in-depth. He emphasizes the importance of cybersecurity, how to start the digitalization process, and highlights the common obstacles companies face when embracing digital transformation. He also comments on the common misperceptions and the hidden benefits of embracing digital advancements. This conversation on digital transformation connects to all parts of the oil and gas workflow and showcases the value proposition for companies. 

Tim Johnson discusses his article in August's The Leading Edge about real-time electrical resistivity tomography (ERT). Tim presents a framework for autonomous, real-time electrical imaging. He also shares two case studies of the framework in action and potential areas of development for this work. This forward-looking conversation utilizes machine learning and the latest electrical geophysical instrumentation to highlight what the future can be for hydrogeophysics.

One of SEG's great traditions is the special recognition of individuals and organizations for their contributions to geophysics and the Society. In this special episode, we celebrate Öz Yilmaz and Xianhuai Zhu for their Maurice Ewing Medal and Virgil Kauffman Gold Medal honors, respectively. First, Andrew Geary speaks with Xianhuai Zhu about how he discovered geophysics and then shares four items of advice for his colleagues and geoscientists. Öz Yilmaz then joins the show to reflect on his long and significant career, what this honor means, and the principles and perspectives that have helped him continue to be a successful geophysicist. This is a unique opportunity to hear from the best of the best in geophysics.

Souvik Mukherjee discusses his article in July's The Leading Edge about high-resolution imaging of subsurface infrastructure using AI. In this conversation, Souvik presents field study results from Texas and California that show the potential for imaging pipelines and other subsurface infrastructure using AI-based methods on high-resolution aboveground magnetic data. He also highlights the similarities and differences between conventional least-squares inversion and machine learning-based inversion and how he achieved a 100-fold increase in efficiency. Whether exploring AI, machine learning, algorithms, or the latest geophysical technology, this conversation has something for everyone.

Olga Nedorub and Diana Sineva preview IMAGE 2022 and the upcoming panel, "Changing The Dynamics Of Energy Use." Olga starts with a brief overview of the technical program at IMAGE and how Diana reached out to her to host this panel. Next, Diana explains how energy efficiency is the glue to the current energy transition, the difference between energy conservation and energy efficiency, and why attendees should attend the panel. Diana also highlights why 40% of the current energy is wasted, why this estimate is low, and how to improve this number without sacrificing comfort or the bottom line.