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This is a list of free and open-source software for geological data handling and interpretation. The list is split into broad categories, depending on the intended use of the software and its scope of functionality.
Notice that 'free and open-source' requires that the source code is available and users are given a free software license. Simple being 'free of charge' is not sufficient—see gratis versus libre.
Name | Description | Originator | License | Platforms | Language | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SGS-Geobase [1] | Drilling data logger that can interface with SGS Genesis | SGS Canada Inc. | GPL | Windows & Microsoft Access | Microsoft Access VBA | Microsoft Access is not necessary, the free runtime is sufficient. Simple graphical interface, Integrity reinforcement, Reporting tools, Satellite Database, Database Validation, Assays QA/QC management with graphics. |
QGeoloGIS | QGIS well log and timeseries visualisation plugin | Oslandia, Orano and CEA | GPLv2 or later | Cross-platform | Python | Interfaces with QGIS |
OpenGeoPlotter | Mineral exploration drill hole data visualization and cross section generator, strip logs, stereonet | GPL | Cross-platform | Python | Open source PyQt5 app catered to the exploration industry | |
Name | Description | Originator | License | Platforms | Language | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GeoTriple for Oil&Gas Exploration | Geo-sciences Software platform (data management, display and process) | Geoforge project | LGPL | Cross-platform | Java | Interfaces with WorldWind and JFreeChart |
Name | Description | Originator | License | Platforms | Language | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gstat [3] | Geostatistical modeling and simulation | Utrecht University | GPL | Cross-platform | C/C++ | Interfaces with GRASS |
gslib [4] | Geostatistical modeling and simulation | Stanford University | MIT | Fortran 77 | ||
PyGSLIB [5] | Python module for geostatistical modeling, designed for mineral resource estimation | Opengeostat Consulting | MIT/GPL | Windows, Linux and OSX | Fortran 95, Cython and Python | It has functions for drillhole calculations, block modeling, wireframing and geostatistics with modified gslib code linked into python |
gstlearn [6] | Geostatistics and Machine Learning Toolbox | MINES Paris - PSL | BSD/GPL | Windows, Linux and OSX | C++ (BSD), Python (BSD) and R (GPL) |
Name | Description | Originator | License | Platforms | Language | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Virtual Geoscience Workbench [7] | Finite-discrete element modeler | Jiansheng Xiang and others | LGPL | Windows | C#, C++ |
Name | Description | Originator | License | Platforms | Language | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GeoSyntax [8] | Reservoir modeling | CSIRO Australia - June Hill | CSIRO "MIT/BSD" (academic) | Microsoft Windows | Java | |
GeoBlock [9] | Reservoir modeling | Pavel Vassiliev | MPL | Microsoft Windows | Object Pascal | Exact terms not clear |
GeoTrace [10] | Tracer modeling | Muhammed Celik | Microsoft Windows | Visual Basic | Exact terms not clear | |
Albion [11] | 3D model reconstruction and visualisation from boreholes based on QGIS GIS Platform | Oslandia [12] and Areva | GPLv2 or later | Cross-platform | Python | Interfaces with QGIS |
GemPy [13] | 3D structural geological modeling | CGRE Institute, RWTH Aachen - Miguel de la Varga | LGPL v3 | Cross-platform | Python | Open-source implicit geological modeling that allows for automation of model construction and is aimed to enable the implementation of probabilistic machine-learning methods, e.g. for uncertainty analysis. |
Name | Description | Originator | License | Platforms | Language | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dapple [14] | Virtual globe for geoscientists | Geosoft Inc. | MIT | Windows | Originated in NASA World Wind | |
Estereografica Web [15] | Stereographic projection and fault kinematics | Reyuntec | Public domain | Cross-platform | ASP.net | Free web application (english and spanish) |
Generic Mapping Tools [16] | Map generation and analysis | Lamont–Doherty and University of Hawaii | GPL | Cross-platform | C | Implemented in OpendTect |
GPlates [17] | Interactive visualization of plate tectonics | University of Sydney, Caltech, NGU | GPL | Cross-platform | C++, Python | Implements GPML |
OpenStereo [18] [19] | Geoscience plotting tool | Carlos Grohmann, University of São Paulo | GPL | Cross-platform | Python | Depends on NumPy and Matplotlib |
OpendTect [20] | Geoscience interpretation and visualization | dGB Earth Sciences | GPL or custom | Cross-platform | C++ | Interfaces with GMT |
Modelgeo [21] | General 3D mathematics with modelling and visualization of geoscience data | ModelGeo AS | Free for non-profit use | Windows | C++, TCL | Originally a petroleum geology program, reads all common geology and geophysics data formats |
ParaViewGeo [22] | Geoscience extension of ParaView Includes readers and filters | Kitware ParaView, Objectivity Originally MIRARCO | BSD | Cross-platform | C++, Python | Adds specific readers, stereo toolbar, slideshow capability and mining and geology oriented filters to Paraview |
PuffinPlot [23] | Paleomagnetic data visualization and analysis | Pontus Lurcock | GPL v3 | Cross-platform | Java | Desktop GUI and Jython scripting interface. |
geoh5py library [24] | Python library for the manipulation and storage of a wide range of geoscientific data (points, curve, surface, 2D and 3D grids) in geoh5 file format, natively supported by Geoscience ANALYST free 3D viewer | Mira Geoscience Ltd. | LPGL 3.0 | Cross-platform | Python | Documentation and tutorials fully available in ReadTheDocs |
geoapps repository [25] | The geoapps repository are open-source geoscientific applications in Python, including geophysical data processing, modelling, and inversion codes | Mira Geoscience Ltd. | MIT | Cross-platform | Python | Documentation and tutorials fully available in ReadTheDocs |
This important class of tools is already listed in the article List of GIS software.
The following projects have unknown licensing, licenses or other conditions which place some restriction on use or redistribution, or which depend on non-open-source software like MATLAB or XVT (and therefore do not meet the Open Source Definition from the Open Source Initiative).
Name | Description | Originator | License | Platforms | Language | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noddy [26] | 3D geological and geophysical modeling | Tectask, IUGS | Custom permissive license | Microsoft Windows | C++ | Uses proprietary XVT libraries; requires (free) registration |
BasinVis, [27] [28] | Basin visualization of sedimentary fill and subsidence | Eun Young Lee, Johannes Novotny | LICENSE | Cross-platform | Matlab | |
Geomodelr [29] | Geological modelling from cross sections | Geomodelr, Inc. | SaaS - AGPL | Cross-platform | Python | Allows creation of public geological models in its web platform for free and query the model with an Open Source Python Package |
BGS Groundhog Desktop [30] | Geological modelling from cross sections | British Geological Survey | OGL - Open Government Licence | MS Windows | Java | Free to use software to digitize geological cross-sections, and display and edit borehole logs |
Geoscience ANALYST [31] | Free 3D visualization and communication software for integrated, multi-disciplinary geoscience and mining data and models, which also connects to Python through geoh5py, its open-source API | Mira Geoscience Ltd. | Free / Proprietary | Microsoft Windows | C++ | Free license key is automatically emailed upon request, and the software is permanently free |
Geologic modelling,geological modelling or geomodelling is the applied science of creating computerized representations of portions of the Earth's crust based on geophysical and geological observations made on and below the Earth surface. A geomodel is the numerical equivalent of a three-dimensional geological map complemented by a description of physical quantities in the domain of interest. Geomodelling is related to the concept of Shared Earth Model; which is a multidisciplinary, interoperable and updatable knowledge base about the subsurface.
NASA WorldWind is an open-source virtual globe. According to the website, "WorldWind is an open source virtual globe API. WorldWind allows developers to quickly and easily create interactive visualizations of 3D globe, map and geographical information. Organizations around the world use WorldWind to monitor weather patterns, visualize cities and terrain, track vehicle movement, analyze geospatial data and educate humanity about the Earth." It was first developed by NASA in 2003 for use on personal computers and then further developed in concert with the open source community since 2004. As of 2017, a web-based version of WorldWind is available online. An Android version is also available.
A GIS software program is a computer program to support the use of a geographic information system, providing the ability to create, store, manage, query, analyze, and visualize geographic data, that is, data representing phenomena for which location is important. The GIS software industry encompasses a broad range of commercial and open-source products that provide some or all of these capabilities within various information technology architectures.
PyMOL is a source-available molecular visualization system created by Warren Lyford DeLano. It was commercialized initially by DeLano Scientific LLC, which was a private software company dedicated to creating useful tools that become universally accessible to scientific and educational communities. It is currently commercialized by Schrödinger, Inc. As the original software license was a permissive licence, they were able to remove it; new versions are no longer released under the Python license, but under a custom license, and some of the source code is no longer released. PyMOL can produce high-quality 3D images of small molecules and biological macromolecules, such as proteins. According to the original author, by 2009, almost a quarter of all published images of 3D protein structures in the scientific literature were made using PyMOL.
Matplotlib is a plotting library for the Python programming language and its numerical mathematics extension NumPy. It provides an object-oriented API for embedding plots into applications using general-purpose GUI toolkits like Tkinter, wxPython, Qt, or GTK. There is also a procedural "pylab" interface based on a state machine, designed to closely resemble that of MATLAB, though its use is discouraged. SciPy makes use of Matplotlib.
SageMath is a computer algebra system (CAS) with features covering many aspects of mathematics, including algebra, combinatorics, graph theory, group theory, differentiable manifolds, numerical analysis, number theory, calculus and statistics.
The following tables provide a comparison of numerical analysis software.
Panda3D is a game engine that includes graphics, audio, I/O, collision detection, and other abilities relevant to the creation of 3D games. Panda3D is free, open-source software under the revised BSD license.
Integrated Land and Water Information System (ILWIS) is a geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing software for both vector and raster processing. Its features include digitizing, editing, analysis and display of data, and production of quality maps. ILWIS was initially developed and distributed by ITC Enschede in the Netherlands for use by its researchers and students. Since 1 July 2007, it has been released as free software under the terms of the GPL-2.0-only license. Having been used by many students, teachers and researchers for more than two decades, ILWIS is one of the most user-friendly integrated vector and raster software programmes currently available. ILWIS has some very powerful raster analysis modules, a high-precision and flexible vector and point digitizing module, a variety of very practical tools, as well as a great variety of user guides and training modules all available for downloading. The current version is ILWIS 3.8.6. Similar to the GRASS GIS in many respects, ILWIS is currently available natively only on Microsoft Windows. However, a Linux Wine manual has been released.
Coin3D is a free and open-source implementation (library) of the Open Inventor API. Coin3D was originally developed and maintained as commercial software by the Norwegian company Kongsberg Oil & Gas Technologies. Coin3D, like Open Inventor, is a C++ object-oriented retained mode 3D graphics API used to provide a higher layer of programming for OpenGL. The API provides a number of common graphics rendering constructs to developers such as scene graphs to accomplish this. Coin3D is fully compatible with the Open Inventor API version 2.1. Coin3D can be used to drive advanced visualization solutions in a wide range of application domains such as geo-modelling, CAD, medical visualization, robotics and presentation.
FreeCAD is a general-purpose parametric 3D computer-aided design (CAD) modeler and a building information modeling (BIM) software application with finite element method (FEM) support. It is intended for mechanical engineering product design but also expands to a wider range of uses around engineering, such as architecture or electrical engineering. FreeCAD is free and open-source, under the LGPL-2.0-or-later license, and available for Linux, macOS, and Windows operating systems. Users can extend the functionality of the software using the Python programming language.
In computer science, Orfeo Toolbox (OTB) is a software library for processing images from Earth observation satellites.
MeVisLab is a cross-platform application framework for medical image processing and scientific visualization. It includes advanced algorithms for image registration, segmentation, and quantitative morphological and functional image analysis. An IDE for graphical programming and rapid user interface prototyping is available.
GPlates is open-source application software offering a novel combination of interactive plate-tectonic reconstructions, geographic information system (GIS) functionality and raster data visualisation.
Dietmar Müller is a professor of geophysics at the school of geosciences, the University of Sydney.