Waterflood front imaging using segmentally insulated well liners as on-demand electrodes

A method for monitoring waterfront movement in a subsurface formation involves performing forward modeling of at least one deep electromagnetic survey of the waterfront movement, and determining locations for installing an electrically insulating spacer between well liners to form an on-demand electromagnetic source electrode. Based on the forward modeling, repeat survey time intervals are predicted. The method involves, during well completion, installing the electrically insulating spacer between the well liners in a reservoir to form at least one on-demand electromagnetic source electrode, and installing the electrically insulating spacer between the plurality of well liners in a reservoir to form an on-demand electromagnetic receiver electrode. A waterfront survey is performed by conveying a production logging tool into a well that temporarily converts the well liners into an on-demand electromagnetic source electrode and an on-demand receiver electrode, and inverse modeling of the waterfront survey is performed to produce a water saturation image.