The quality of seismic imaging has a direct impact on the reliability and accuracy of conventional seismic reservoir characterization. Over the last decade, Full Waveform Inversion (FWI) has revolutionized seismic imaging. It first established itself as an extraordinary velocity model-building tool capable of handling complex geological settings, and more recently it has emerged as a potential quantitative imaging technique.

Today, FWI can deliver high-resolution quantitative subsurface models that partially overlap with the resolution traditionally achieved through seismic reservoir characterization methods such as AVO inversion. This evolution naturally raises an important question: should Full Waveform Inversion and traditional AVO inversion be regarded as competing or complementary techniques?

In this dedicated session, we aim to illustrate and discuss the benefits, limitations, and perspectives that FWI can bring to quantitative interpretation, and to explore how it can best be integrated with conventional seismic reservoir characterization workflows — and vice versa.