GEOMODELATOR-GUI: A web-based graphical user interface for 3D geological modelling

Geological modelling workflows often rely on command-line tools requiring programming expertise, limiting accessibility for domain scientists. This paper introduces GEOMODELATOR-GUI, a novel web-based graphical user interface for the open-source 3D geological modelling software GEOMODELATOR. The GUI abstracts complex configuration and execution processes into an intuitive, step-wise wizard interface, enabling geoscientists to generate structural geological models without coding, and thereby turning available field data into practical insights in a straightforward process. Built using Streamlit for the client and Flask for the server, the application implements a session-based architecture where model configurations are transmitted via JSON. The core innovation lies in its hybrid local-storage approach: large geological structural datasets and model outputs (ParaView VTK and VTS, numpy npz) are managed via a shared directory to circumvent network transfer limitations, while configuration logic remains server-mediated. The system performs model pre-configuration including grid alignment and data transformation, partitioning using cubic interpolation and priority-based sequential assignment of fault/strata relationships, and post-processing by inverse transformation and output generation. Validation using synthetic and real-world datasets demonstrates successful generation of complex faulted and stratified geological models. GEOMODELATOR-GUI significantly lowers the barrier to entry for geological modelling, enhances reproducibility through session management, and provides interactive 3D visualisation via PyVista. The fully open-source Python implementation of the GUI supports efficient 3D model development for numerical simulations within short time frames.

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Publication Details

Journal
SoftwareX
Published
2026-03-31
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.softx.2026.102630
Primary Topic
Geological Modeling and Analysis
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

GEOMODELATOR-GUI: A web-based graphical user interface for 3D geological modelling

Benjamin Nakaten, Elena Chabab, Thomas Kempka
SoftwareX
Geological Modeling and Analysis
article

GEOMODELATOR-GUI: A web-based graphical user interface for 3D geological modelling

Benjamin Nakaten, Elena Chabab, Thomas Kempka
article en

Abstract

Geological modelling workflows often rely on command-line tools requiring programming expertise, limiting accessibility for domain scientists. This paper introduces GEOMODELATOR-GUI, a novel web-based graphical user interface for the open-source 3D geological modelling software GEOMODELATOR. The GUI abstracts complex configuration and execution processes into an intuitive, step-wise wizard interface, enabling geoscientists to generate structural geological models without coding, and thereby turning available field data into practical insights in a straightforward process. Built using Streamlit for the client and Flask for the server, the application implements a session-based architecture where model configurations are transmitted via JSON. The core innovation lies in its hybrid local-storage approach: large geological structural datasets and model outputs (ParaView VTK and VTS, numpy npz) are managed via a shared directory to circumvent network transfer limitations, while configuration logic remains server-mediated. The system performs model pre-configuration including grid alignment and data transformation, partitioning using cubic interpolation and priority-based sequential assignment of fault/strata relationships, and post-processing by inverse transformation and output generation. Validation using synthetic and real-world datasets demonstrates successful generation of complex faulted and stratified geological models. GEOMODELATOR-GUI significantly lowers the barrier to entry for geological modelling, enhances reproducibility through session management, and provides interactive 3D visualisation via PyVista. The fully open-source Python implementation of the GUI supports efficient 3D model development for numerical simulations within short time frames.

SoftwareXVol. 34
University of Potsdam (DE), GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences (DE)
Openalex Percentile: Top 23%
Geological Modeling and Analysis
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