This book describes the methods and attributes required for the compe-
tent quality control of the data acquisition of a seismic exploration
crew operating on land. Although the book is concerned mainly with
explo- ration for oil and gas reservoirs, and all the topics that are
discussed in it are centred on that target, the material is applicable
to other areas of seismic exploration such as civil engineering and the
search for other minerals. The book comprises the distillation of more
than thirty years' experience in geophysical exploration in all its
aspects and in many parts of the world. Seismic data acquisition quality
supervision is one aspect of geophysical exploration which, although of
great importance, has had, so far as the writer is aware, no textbook
devoted to it. It is hoped that it will be of interest to anyone who is
engaged, in whatever capacity, in geophysical exploration and will help
them to attain their goal, which is illustrated in Fig. 1. 1. The term
birddog is colloquial in the geophysical exploration industry. It is a
convenient shorthand title to describe the person whose full title is,
and who acts as, the data acquisition quality control supervisor on a
field seismic exploration crew. The term is used also to describe the
person who is the client's representative on the field crew. In practice
the same person performs both functions on behalf of the client.
