An interactive microprocessor-based system is under development which converts the curve data on paper well logs to a computer-usable digital format. The system can be adapted to convert log curves from microfiche. The system is expected to reduce the cost, time, and drudgery associated with current hand-tracing and editing techniques, without sacrifice of quality.

The initial system consists of a 64K (64,000 character) memory, a Zilog Z-80B microprocessor, a TV camera, a color monitor, a video digitizer with 256K of raster-refresh buffer, and almost 30 million bytes of on-line magnetic storage.

The hardware semiautomatically captures log images in raster form. Software converts the raster imagery to an X-Y coordinate model. The operator then makes model corrections interactively by using a small digitizer tablet as a pointing device and with pattern-recognition assistance from the system.

The author hopes to add software to allow "slipping" digital logs on the same equipment. The next logical development would be a plotter, a floating-point processor, and software to add contouring capability to the system.

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