Shot-based pre-processing solutions for wide azimuth towed streamer datasets

Wide azimuth towed streamer (WATS) acquisition has been shown to provide improved seismic imaging, especially in areas with complex 3D structures. By making use of additional source vessels shooting into the streamer array from large lateral offsets, a dataset is created with a large cross-line aperture, higher fold, and a broader offset-azimuth distribution than conventional (narrow azimuth) streamer datasets. The improved imaging provided by WATS acquisition geometry has been well illustrated as this method is being more widely adopted. An example which illustrates the superiority of WATS data for imaging was given by Michell et al. (2006). There, a straightforward depth migration of WATS data with limited pre-processing was shown to provide a significantly improved image compared to the results obtained with conventional streamer acquisition.