Engineers commonly use forward methods in designing structures.
For example if we know the properties and extent of a magnetic field we can predict the direction and magnitude of the field at a given point. Another example of an inverse problem is trying to construct a map of bedrock topography based on a limited number of boreholes. One very important thing that we must always remember is that inverse problems almost always have an infinite number of non-unique solutions and many times we can never know what the truth is. The best solution is one that is geologically reasonable and the solution that most often leads to a correct prediction. Other examples of inverse methods in geology include reconstructing thickness of geological units using techniques such as drilling, correlation, seismic reflection, radar, gravity surveys, and geomagnetic surveys.