Quantitative methods are needed for systematic decision-making during exploration for subsurface resources, but few methods exist that fully incorporate the interaction of geological, operational, and financial conditions. The sequential nature of planning where to drill for subsurface exploration is not commonly addressed by conventional techniques in a quantitative fashion, despite its foundational relevance to hypothesis testing. Value of information (VOI) can incorporate various aspects of subsurface exploration decision-making as well as sequence. Here, we use VOI to determine the optimal sequence and placement of exploration boreholes when varying conditions such as target resource volume and drilling cost. Using VOI, we show that the optimal placement and selection of exploration boreholes change when planning to drill one borehole at a time compared to planning to drill two boreholes sequentially. A formulation and tutorial explanation of VOI for sequential decision situations are shown using a synthetic case. We demonstrate a test case using data from a real metal deposit.

在地下资源勘探过程中，系统决策需要定量方法，但很少有方法能够充分结合地质、运营和财务条件的相互作用。尽管常规技术与假设检验具有基本相关性，但规划在哪里钻探以进行地下勘探的顺序性质通常不会以定量方式解决。信息价值 (VOI) 可以包含地下勘探决策和序列的各个方面。在这里，当目标资源量和钻井成本等条件发生变化时，我们使用 VOI 来确定勘探钻孔的最佳顺序和位置。使用VOI，我们表明，与计划顺序钻两个钻孔相比，计划一次钻一个钻孔时，勘探钻孔的最佳位置和选择会发生变化。使用合成案例显示了针对顺序决策情况的 VOI 的公式化和教程解释。我们使用来自真实金属矿床的数据演示了一个测试用例。