Course Details

AF Academyby AF Academy

Electrical Resistivity Imaging & Tomography: Advanced

Electrical Resistivity Imaging & Tomography: Advanced

With recent advances in ERI technology and software, practitioners are faced with numerous choices in selecting acquisition and inversion parameters, some of which can affect results substantially. Mistakes in field surveys and interpretation are common in ERT surveys.


The proposed certification course includes a review of the resistivity method followed by instrumentation, survey techniques, data processing and interpretation methods. This course covers the ERT method for practicing field surveyors that are currently involved in resistivity surveys as well as in academic research.


Do you face any of the following challenges?


1. Inability to choose right data acquisition parameters

2. Failing to obtain data in difficult field conditions

3. Unable to get best results out of acquired data

4. Not able to bring RMS error within acceptable limits

5. Not able to process the data in 3D

6. Not able to interpret the resistivity section & translate it to geology

1. Basics of Electrical Resistivity Method

  1. Basic resistivity theory 1
  2. Electrical properties of earth materials
  3. 1-D resistivity surveys and inversion – applications, limitations and pitfalls
  4. Basic inverse theory
  5. 2-D model discretisation methods

2. Designing a field survey

  1. 2D Survey
  2. 3D Survey
  3. Depth of Investigation & Spread Length
  4. Electrode Spacing & Resolution

3. Data Collection in Difficult Field Conditions

  1. Stoney ground
  2. Forest Area

c. Desert

d. Loose Top Soil

4. Survey Parameters

a. Electrode Contact Resistance

b. Stacking

c. Reciprocal Measurements d. Pulse Duration

5. Forward Modelling

  1. Basics of forward modelling
  2. Practical training on RES2DMOD

6. Data Acquisition

  1. 2D data acquisition
  2. 3D data acquisition

7. Data processing

  1. Setting inversion parameters
  2. Sensitivity & Depth of Investigation
  3. Removing outlier data
  4. Reducing 2D RMS error
  5. Practical training on RES2DMOD
  6. Practical training on RES3DMOD

8. Data Interpretation

  1. Converting resistivity model to geological model
  2. Assigning geological layers in output model

9. Case Studies & Special Topics

  1. 4D Electrical Resistivity Imaging
  2. ERI across water bodies
  3. ERI between boreholes

Above is a tentative list of topics to be covered. More topics will be added as per requirement of attending participants.