List of free geology software

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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.

Contents

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.

Well logging & Borehole visualisation

NameDescriptionOriginatorLicensePlatformsLanguageNotes
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.
QGeoloGISQGIS well log and timeseries visualisation plugin Oslandia, Orano and CEA GPLv2 or later Cross-platform Python Interfaces with QGIS
OpenGeoPlotterMineral 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

Geosciences software platforms

NameDescriptionOriginatorLicensePlatformsLanguageNotes
GeoTriple for Oil&Gas Exploration

[2]

Geo-sciences Software platform (data management, display and process) Geoforge project LGPL Cross-platform Java Interfaces with WorldWind and JFreeChart

Geostatistics

NameDescriptionOriginatorLicensePlatformsLanguageNotes
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 OSXC++ (BSD), Python (BSD) and R (GPL)

Forward modeling

NameDescriptionOriginatorLicensePlatformsLanguageNotes
Virtual Geoscience Workbench [7] Finite-discrete element modelerJiansheng Xiang and others LGPL Windows C#, C++

Geomodeling

NameDescriptionOriginatorLicensePlatformsLanguageNotes
GeoSyntax [8] Reservoir modelingCSIRO Australia - June Hill CSIRO "MIT/BSD" (academic) Microsoft Windows Java
GeoBlock [9] Reservoir modelingPavel Vassiliev MPL Microsoft Windows Object Pascal Exact terms not clear
GeoTrace [10] Tracer modelingMuhammed Celik Microsoft Windows Visual Basic Exact terms not clear
Albion [11] 3D model reconstruction and visualisation from boreholes based on QGIS GIS PlatformOslandia [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.

Visualization, interpretation & analysis packages

NameDescriptionOriginatorLicensePlatformsLanguageNotes
Dapple [14] Virtual globe for geoscientists Geosoft Inc. MIT Windows Originated in NASA World Wind
Estereografica Web [15] Stereographic projection and fault kinematicsReyuntecPublic domain Cross-platform ASP.netFree 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 toolCarlos Grohmann, University of São Paulo GPL Cross-platform Python Depends on NumPy and Matplotlib
OpendTect [20] Geoscience interpretation and visualizationdGB Earth Sciences GPL or custom Cross-platform C++ Interfaces with GMT
Modelgeo [21] General 3D mathematics with modelling and visualization of geoscience dataModelGeo ASFree for non-profit useWindows 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 analysisPontus 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 viewerMira 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 codesMira Geoscience Ltd. MIT Cross-platform Python Documentation and tutorials fully available in ReadTheDocs

Geographic information systems (GIS)

This important class of tools is already listed in the article List of GIS software.

Not true free and open-source projects

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).

NameDescriptionOriginatorLicensePlatformsLanguageNotes
Noddy [26] 3D geological and geophysical modelingTectask, IUGS Custom permissive license Microsoft Windows C++ Uses proprietary XVT libraries; requires (free) registration
BasinVis, [27] [28] Basin visualization of sedimentary fill and subsidenceEun Young Lee, Johannes Novotny LICENSE Cross-platform Matlab
Geomodelr [29] Geological modelling from cross sectionsGeomodelr, 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 APIMira Geoscience Ltd.Free / Proprietary Microsoft Windows C++ Free license key is automatically emailed upon request, and the software is permanently free

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geologic modelling</span> Applied science of creating computerized representations of portions of the Earths crust

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NASA WorldWind</span> Open-source virtual globe

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PyMOL</span> Biology structure visualization software

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matplotlib</span> Library for creating static, animated, and interactive visualizations in Python.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SageMath</span> Computer algebra system

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FreeCAD</span> Free and open-source 3D CAD software

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orfeo toolbox</span>

In computer science, Orfeo Toolbox (OTB) is a software library for processing images from Earth observation satellites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MeVisLab</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GPlates</span> Open-source application software for interactive plate-tectonic reconstructions

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.

References

  1. "Geological Software, 3D Modelling, QAQC and Resource Estimation | Genesis". 26 September 2023.
  2. "GeoTriple - Oil&Gas Exploration - About".
  3. Gstat website
  4. "Geostatistical Software Library". gslib.com. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  5. "opengeostat/pygslib". GitHub. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  6. "gstlearn" . Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  7. "Virtual Geoscience Workbench". 13 March 2016.
  8. "CSIRO Data Access Portal".
  9. "Geoblock". geoblock.sourceforge.net. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  10. GeoTrace website
  11. "Oslandia / Albion".
  12. "OSLANDIA" . Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  13. de la Varga, Miguel; Schaaf, Alexander; Wellmann, Florian (2019). "GemPy 1.0: open-source stochastic geological modeling and inversion". Geoscientific Model Development. 12 (1): 1–32. doi: 10.5194/gmd-12-1-2019 . hdl: 2164/11751 .
  14. Dapple website Archived 2006-08-13 at the Wayback Machine
  15. Estereografica Web
  16. Generic Mapping Tools hawaii.edu
  17. "GPlates". www.gplates.org. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  18. "Welcome".
  19. "OpenStereo – an open source, cross-platform structural geology analysis software — OpenStereo 0.9.0 documentation".
  20. "dGB Earth Sciences - Innovative Seismic Interpretations Solutions". dgbes.com. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  21. "HOME". modelgeo. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  22. "ParaviewGeo". Archived from the original on 29 March 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  23. Lurcock, P. C. and G. S. Wilson (2012), PuffinPlot: A versatile, user-friendly program for paleomagnetic analysis, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 13, Q06Z45, doi:10.1029/2012GC004098
  24. "Mira Geoscience Python Integration > geoh5py" . Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  25. "Mira Geoscience Python Integration > geoapps" . Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  26. "Noddy". Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  27. "BasinVis 2.0".
  28. Lee E.Y., Novotny J., Wagreich M. (2016) BasinVis 1.0: A MATLAB®-based program for sedimentary basin subsidenceanalysis and visualization. Computers & Geosciences 91, 119–127. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cageo.2016.03.013
  29. Geomodelr website
  30. "Groundhog v2.8" . Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  31. "Geophysical Software & Free 3D Viewer to Download" . Retrieved 5 June 2024.