We have recently launched our end-of-year round up series, “Seismic Reflections”, where we have asked different members of the STRYDE team to share their perspectives on the seismic industry in 2023 and how they see this changing in 2024.
In this edition of our Seismic Reflections series, we speak to STRYDE’s CEO, Mike Popham.
He reflects on his past 12 months in the seismic industry and the incredible achievements of the STRYDE team, and shares his predictions and plans for 2024…
What has been your biggest lesson learned from the world of seismic in 2023?
“I’ve seen first-hand that the land seismic market is continuing to evolve at pace, even beyond STRYDE’s initial predictions - whether that be in new geographies, new environments or new sectors. It is also clear that the demand for high density onshore seismic data is continuing to grow quickly around the globe.
“The use of STRYDE by our customers this year has been in line with these trends. In 2023, two out of every three projects using STRYDE were in non-oil and gas markets which is an increase compared to previous years. We also saw our nodal technology used in 11 new countries throughout 2023.”
“I, personally, loved seeing the breadth of new applications that STRYDE were able to help support this year. Our technologies helped scientists better understand how elephants communicate in Kenya, diagnose soil health to improve crop growth, explore for natural hydrogen, investigate the Earth’s critical zone processes, while we also helped monitor operational geothermal and CCS sites. We’ve helped provide crucial, high-density subsurface insights for industry, academia and governments around the globe.
What are the common themes you are seeing from your customers in terms of their wants and needs?
“Companies are conducting seismic studies and exploration projects in increasingly challenging terrains, where only small and agile technology is practical. In 2023, we were involved in projects in dense jungles, mountains, cities and even on the sides of active volcanoes.”
What do you think will be the biggest seismic change in 2024?
“I believe that 2024 will see natural hydrogen exploration become a material land seismic market around the globe as both governments and companies seek to accelerate the energy transition. STRYDE has a big role to play here! We’ve demonstrated that the cost of exploring for natural hydrogen, understanding the geological processes that generate it and eventually identifying where to produce it from is surprisingly low, removing a key barrier to uptake in the market.”
What have been your highlights from the past 12 months?
“In November, we reached a new milestone, passing 685,000 STRYDE Nodes™ delivered to clients across the globe. This is testament to our incredible team and the lengths they have gone to in order to make 2023 successful for STRYDE and our customers.
“This unparalleled uptake demonstrates that there is a growing demand for faster, cost-effective seismic acquisition technology and it is clear that STRYDE is leading the way.
“The STRYDE Node™ is now the unquestioned market leader in terms of volume. It has been an amazing journey for myself, the STRYDE team and the many customers around the world who are directly benefiting from STRYDE’s technology.
“We also launched STRYDE Lens™ in August, and the rapid interest from the market was very special to see. This in-field data processing solution is truly transformative, drastically shortening the timescales between starting acquisition and having decision making information in the field.”
What positive feedback has STRYDE received from clients regarding our latest technologies or methodologies?
“Customer feedback is extremely valued within STRYDE, as it’s what allows us to learn, adapt, innovate and create to continue to deliver maximum value to our clients.
“I routinely hear how our clients continue to be amazed by both the efficiencies that STRYDE enables in the field and the data quality that can be achieved through such a compact unit.
“Our field support team in particular receives feedback that the service surpasses what they have ever experienced before.
“Finally, clients who are new to STRYDE remark on how comprehensive and easy to use our software is compared to alternatives, which is a big differentiator for our business, and especially key to emerging renewable industries and academia who may be new to the seismic world.”
What do you think will be the key to STRYDE’s success next year?
“The success of our business will be driven by our fantastic team. Together with our customers, we will continue to lead the global movement away from legacy nodes and cable-based systems and towards faster, safer, more environmentally friendly land seismic data acquisition, with ever increasing trace densities.
“We expect the one millionth STRYDE Node™ to come off the production lines in early 2024, which will be an incredible accomplishment in itself, and I am excited to see what we can achieve together beyond this over the next 12 months.
“Land seismic is growing globally, and it is growing quickly across all markets. 2024 promises to be a very exciting year for STRYDE and the wider industry.”