Kris Davis


Contact information:

Kris Davis
Post-Doctoral Fellow

Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences
Geophysical Inversion Facility
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4 Canada

USA Phone: (720) 937-0319
CAN Phone: (604) 908-8128
Email: kdavis@mines.edu
CV available upon request

Opening day at Coor's field with the Colorado Rockies and Dinger.

About Me:
  • Originally from the great city of Pittsburgh, PA, I am a fan of the Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins. I have also been converted to the fanbase of the Colorado Rockies. My hobbies are curling, biking, hiking, sailing, and backpacking. My research interests include speed algorithms for large-scale inversion and general potential fields.

Education:
  • 2010-present, Post-Doctoral Fellow, UBC-GIF, University of British Columbia
  • 2005-2010, Ph.D., Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines
  • 2001-2005, B.Sc., Geophysical Engineering, Colorado School of Mines

Publications:
  • Davis, K. and Y. Li, 2010, Fast solution of geophysical inversion using adaptive mesh, space-filling curves, and wavelet compression: Geophysical Journal International, Submitted for publication
  • Davis, K., M. A. Kass, and Y. Li, 2010, Rapid gravity and gravity gradiometry terrain correction via an adaptive quadtree mesh discretization: Exploration Geophysics, Accepted for publication
  • Davis, K. and Y. Li, 2010, Joint processing of total-field and gradient magnetic data: Exploration Geophysics, Accepted for publication
  • Davis, K., Y. Li, and M. N. Nabighian, 2010, Effects on the determination of structural index on low-pass filtered magnetic data: Geophysics, Accepted for publication
  • Davis, K., Y. Li, and M. N. Nabighian, 2010, Automatic detection of UXO anomalies using extended Euler deconvolution: Geophysics, 75, G13-G20.
  • Davis, K., Y. Li, and M. Batzle, 2008, Time-lapse gravity monitoring: A systematic 4D approach with application to aquifer storage and recovery: Geophysics, 73, WA61-WA69.

Research groups:

Research projects:
  • 4D gravity: Designed survey for monitoring of aquifer storage and recovery system (ASR). Performed multiple surveys, processed, and used continuous variable and binary inversion techniques for quantitive interpretation. Summer internship at BP (2007) dealt with time-lapse interpretation of a field.
  • Unexploded Ordnance (UXO): Developed methods of automatically identifying potential UXO magnetic targets with extended Euler deconvolution. Have performed equivalent source processing on heli-mag to aid in the gridding of UXO data. Examined the use of DC resistivity in an underwater environment via forward modeling.
  • Magnetic gradients: Created algorithms that use magnetic gradients to laterally contrain equivalent source models for the gridding of total-field data. The method solves for a model that jointly fits both types of data. In 3D inversion, the vertical gradient can also be added to further constrain the model. These data are considered as independent data within the context of the inversion algorithm.
  • Efficent inversion algorithms: Elevated current speed algorithms for potential-field inversion with a three-step approach featuring adaptive mesh discretization. Used an adaptive quadtree-based approach for equivalent source processing and an octree-based discretization for 3D inversion. With this type of discretization, 3D wavelets cannot be applied, but the 1D wavelet can. Space-filling curves (e.g. 2D and 3D Hilbert curve) create higher efficiency by spatially correlating model parameter location and order.
  • Efficient forward modeling: Used the quadtree knowledge to create fast potential-field modeling of surfaces. The data- and terrain-dependent method is tailored to provide rapid and accurate terrain corrections for draped airborne surveys. The surface used in the modeling of terrain effect for each datum is discretized automatically to the largest cell size that will yield the desired accuracy, resulting in much faster modeling than full-resolution calculations.
  • Archaeology: Aided in an effort to find kivas and other structures at Chaco Canyon National Historical Park in New Mexico. Carried out EM31, magnetics, 2D and 3D DC resistivity surveys (using Super Sting). Carried out leveling of magnetic data and 2D and 3D inversion of the DC data. The project was handed over to a group of undergraduates for their Senior Design requirements and overlooked by Rich Krahenbuhl .
Conference awards:
  • Laric Hawkins Award (for the most innovative use of a geophysical technique), ASEG 2010, Rapid gravity and gravity gradient terrain correction via an adaptive quadtree mesh discretization, by M. A. Kass, K. Davis, and Y. Li
  • Best Student Paper Award, SEG 2005, Automatic detection of magnetic UXO anomalies using extended Euler deconvolution, by K. Davis, Y. Li, and M. N. Nabighian

Professional Societies:
  • Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG)
  • SEG Near Surface Group
  • Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (ASEG)
  • Society of Geophysics Graduate Students, Colorado School of Mines (SGGS)

Recent conference proceedings:
  • Davis, K. and Y. Li, 2010, 3D joint inversion of gradient and total-field magnetic data: SEG
  • Davis, K., M. A. Kass, and Y. Li, 2010, Rapid gravity and gravity gradiometry terrain correction via an adaptive mesh discretization: SEG
  • Davis, K. and Y. Li, 2010, Efficient 3D inversion of magnetic data via an octree discretization, space-filling curves, and wavelets: SEG
  • Foks, L., K. Davis, and Y. Li, 2010, Noise in the processing and application of magnetic gradients: SEG
  • Kass, M. A., K. Davis, and Y. Li, 2010, Rapid gravity and gravity gradiometry terrain correction via an adaptive mesh discretization: ASEG
  • Davis, K., and Y. Li, 2009, Enhancement of depth estimation techniques with amplitude analysis: SEG
  • Davis, K., Y. Li, R. A. Krahenbuhl, and M. N. Nabighian, 2009, Automatic dection of UXO anomalies in noisy environments: UXO Forum
  • Davis, K., M. A. Kass, R. A. Krahenbuhl, and Y. Li, 2008, Survey design and model appraisal based on resolution analysis for 4D gravity monitoring: SEG