List of free geology software

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.

## Well logging & Borehole visualisation[edit]

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

## Geosciences software platforms[edit]

Name  | Description  | Originator  | License  | Platforms  | Language  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|

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[edit]

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

## Forward modeling[edit]

Name  | Description  | Originator  | License  | Platforms  | Language  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|

Virtual Geoscience Workbench[6] | Finite-discrete element modeler  | Jiansheng Xiang and others  | LGPL | Windows | C#, C++ |

## Geomodeling[edit]

Name  | Description  | Originator  | License  | Platforms  | Language  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|

GeoSyntax[7] | Reservoir modeling  | CSIRO Australia - June Hill  | CSIRO "MIT/BSD" (academic) | Microsoft Windows | Java |
GeoBlock[8] | Reservoir modeling  | Pavel Vassiliev  | MPL | Microsoft Windows | Object Pascal | Exact terms not clear
GeoTrace[9] | Tracer modeling  | Muhammed Celik  |  | Microsoft Windows | Visual Basic | Exact terms not clear
Albion[10] | 3D model reconstruction and visualisation from boreholes based on QGIS GIS Platform  | Oslandia[11] and Areva  | GPLv2 or later | Cross-platform | Python | Interfaces with QGIS
GemPy[12] | 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[edit]

Name  | Description  | Originator  | License  | Platforms  | Language  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|

Dapple[13] | Virtual globe for geoscientists  | Geosoft Inc. | MIT | Windows |  | Originated in NASA World Wind
Estereografica Web[14] | Stereographic projection and fault kinematics  | Reyuntec  | Public domain  | Cross-platform | ASP.net  | Free web application (english and spanish)
Generic Mapping Tools[15] | Map generation and analysis  | Lamont–Doherty and University of Hawaii | GPL | Cross-platform | C | Implemented in OpendTect
GPlates[16] | Interactive visualization of plate tectonics  | University of Sydney, Caltech, NGU | GPL | Cross-platform | C++, Python | Implements GPML
OpenStereo[17][18] | Geoscience plotting tool  | Carlos Grohmann, University of São Paulo | GPL | Cross-platform | Python | Depends on NumPy and Matplotlib
OpendTect[19] | Geoscience interpretation and visualization  | dGB Earth Sciences  | GPL or custom  | Cross-platform | C++ | Interfaces with GMT
Modelgeo[20] | 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[21] | 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[22] | Paleomagnetic data visualization and analysis  | Pontus Lurcock  | GPL v3  | Cross-platform | Java | Desktop GUI and Jython scripting interface.

## Geographic information systems (GIS)[edit]

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

## Not true free and open-source projects[edit]

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[23] | 3D geological and geophysical modeling  | Tectask, IUGS | Custom permissive license  | Microsoft Windows | C++ | Uses proprietary XVT libraries; requires (free) registration
BasinVis,[24][25] | Basin visualization of sedimentary fill and subsidence  | Eun Young Lee, Johannes Novotny  | LICENSE | Cross-platform | Matlab |
Geomodelr[26] | 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[27] | 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

## References[edit]

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. ^ "Virtual Geoscience Workbench". 13 March 2016.
7. ^ "CSIRO Data Access Portal".
8. ^ "Geoblock". geoblock.sourceforge.net. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
9. ^ GeoTrace website
10. ^ "Oslandia / Albion".
11. ^ "OSLANDIA". Retrieved 30 January 2024.
12. ^ 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.
13. ^ Dapple website Archived 2006-08-13 at the Wayback Machine
14. ^ Estereografica Web
15. ^ Generic Mapping Tools hawaii.edu
16. ^ "GPlates". www.gplates.org. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
17. ^ "Welcome".
18. ^ "OpenStereo – an open source, cross-platform structural geology analysis software — OpenStereo 0.9.0 documentation".
19. ^ "dGB Earth Sciences - Innovative Seismic Interpretations Solutions". dgbes.com. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
20. ^ "HOME". modelgeo. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
21. ^ "ParaviewGeo". Archived from the original on 29 March 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
22. ^ 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
23. ^ "Noddy". Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
24. ^ "BasinVis 2.0".
25. ^ 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
26. ^ Geomodelr website
27. ^ "Groundhog v2.8". Retrieved 30 January 2024.

* v
* t
* e

Free and open-source software

General|

* Alternative terms for free software
* Comparison of open-source and closed-source software
* Comparison of source-code-hosting facilities
* Free software
* Free software project directories
* Gratis versus libre
* Long-term support
* Open-source software
* Open-source software development
* Outline
* Timeline

Software
packages|

* Audio
* Bioinformatics
* Codecs
* Configuration management
* Drivers
* Graphics
* Wireless
* Health
* Mathematics
* Office Suites
* Operating systems
* Routing
* Television
* Video games
* Web applications
* E-commerce
* Android apps
* iOS apps
* Commercial
* Formerly proprietary
* Formerly open-source

Community|

* Free software movement
* History
* Open-source-software movement
* Events

Organisations|

* Free Software Movement of India
* Free Software Foundation

Licenses|

* AFL
* Apache
* APSL
* Artistic
* Beerware
* BSD
* Creative Commons
* CDDL
* EPL
* Free Software Foundation
* GNU GPL
* GNU AGPL
* GNU LGPL
* ISC
* MIT
* MPL
* Python
* Python Software Foundation License
* Shared Source Initiative
* Sleepycat
* Unlicense
* WTFPL
* zlib

| Types and
standards|

* Comparison of licenses
* Contributor License Agreement
* Copyleft
* Debian Free Software Guidelines
* Definition of Free Cultural Works
* Free license
* The Free Software Definition
* The Open Source Definition
* Open-source license
* Permissive software license
* Public domain
* Viral license

|

Challenges|

* Digital rights management
* License proliferation
* Mozilla software rebranding
* Proprietary device drivers
* Proprietary firmware
* Proprietary software
* SCO/Linux controversies
* Software patents
* Software security
* Trusted Computing

Related
topics|

* Forking
* GNU Manifesto
* Microsoft Open Specification Promise
* Open-core model
* Open-source hardware
* Shared Source Initiative
* Source-available software
* The Cathedral and the Bazaar
* Revolution OS

* Portal
* Category

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template