GGSD Newsletter Archive

GGSD Newsletter Archive

GGSD Newsletter - June 2002
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Welcome to the seventh GGSD Newsletter, bringing you news of newly released geo-software and of updates to the Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Software Directory (GGSD) at http://www.ggsd.com/

In this Newsletter:

- GGSD updates
- New and updated program entries
- My pick of the new programs

If you want to change the e-mail address that this Newsletter is sent to, or look through the archive of previous Newsletters, or if you wish to be removed from the mailing list, then visit the Newsletter page at http://www.ggsd.com/

Regards
Tim Spink
21 June 2002

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GGSD updates

Since the last Newsletter there have been two updates of the GGSD in January and June. The GGSD now lists 1,449 programs, 832 suppliers and publishers and 28 useful WWW links. The most recent new and updated entries are listed in the What's New page at http://www.ggsd.com/ and the 107 new and updated program entries are given below.

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New and updated program entries

GEOTECHNICAL PROGRAMS

Bearing capacity

-- BEAREF - Updated 16 June 2002
-- Footings - Updated 16 June 2002

Dynamics (behaviour and earthquake)

-- EERA - New 5 January 2002
-- NERA - New 5 January 2002
-- QUAKE/W - New 5 January 2002 - See my pick of the new programs below

Geotechnical software suites

-- CASTeR - Updated 18 June 2002
-- GEOPRO - Updated 16 June 2002

Laboratory testing (soil)

-- ConsolPlot - New 5 January 2002
-- GDSLAB - Updated 5 January 2002
-- GDSLAB REPORTS - New 5 January 2002
-- GEOCAL - Updated 16 June 2002
-- LabLogic - New 18 June 2002 - See my pick of the new programs below
-- Soilab99 - New 5 January 2002

Numerical analysis (general)

-- CGM - New 16 June 2002
-- PFC - Updated 18 June 2002

Numerical analysis (rock)

-- Phase2 - Updated 5 January 2002
-- RocSupport - Updated 5 January 2002
-- UDEC - Updated 18 June 2002
-- UDEC 3D (3DEC) - Updated 18 June 2002

Numerical analysis (soil)

-- FLAC - Updated 18 June 2002
-- FLAC 3D - Updated 18 June 2002
-- SWANDYNE for Windows - New 5 January 2002

Piles (lateral loading and groups)

-- All-Pile - Updated 5 January 2002
-- GEOnac-PSI - Updated 16 June 2002
-- GROUP/PSI - Updated 16 June 2002
-- PIGCAR - New 5 January 2002
-- SWM - New 18 June 2002 - See my pick of the new programs below

Piles (single)

-- WinPost - New 16 June 2002 - See my pick of the new programs below

Reinforced slopes and walls

-- ReSSA(2.0) - New 5 January 2002
-- TensarWall - New 5 January 2002 - See my pick of the new programs below

Retaining wall design

-- Retwall (Archon) - Updated 16 June 2002
-- SPUNT-A3 - Updated 16 June 2002
-- WALLAP - Updated 16 June 2002

Rock mechanics

-- GEOROK - Updated 16 June 2002
-- Rockmate - New 5 January 2002 - See my pick of the new programs below

Settlement analysis

-- ENKONS/PC - Updated 16 June 2002
-- Settlement calculation - New 16 June 2002
-- WINSAF-I - New 5 January 2002 - See my pick of the new programs below
-- WINSAF-TR - New 5 January 2002
-- WINSTRESS - New 5 January 2002

Slope stability (rock)

-- EzSlide - Updated 5 January 2002
-- Geoslide/Proslide - New 5 January 2002
-- GS-Rockfall - Updated 16 June 2002
-- RocFall - Updated 5 January 2002
-- RocPlane - New 5 January 2002 - See my pick of the new programs below
-- Swedge - Updated 5 January 2002

Slope stability (soil)

-- FLAC/Slope - New 18 June 2002 - See my pick of the new programs below
-- GEOSTAB - Updated 5 January 2002
-- GS-Stability - Updated 16 June 2002
-- GSTABL7 with STEDwin v.2 - Updated 5 January 2002
-- Slide - Updated 18 June 2002
-- STABLE - Updated 18 June 2002
-- STEDwin 2.6 - Updated 5 January 2002

GEOENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS

Aquifer test analysis

-- Espora - Updated 5 January 2002

Contaminant transport (2D FD)

-- VENT2D - Updated 5 January 2002

Contaminant transport (3D)

-- ChemFlux - New 18 June 2002 - See my pick of the new programs below
-- VENT3D - New 5 January 2002

Geochemistry

-- Chimera DPA Geochemistry - New 20 June 2002

Geoenvironmental database systems

-- DataStream Enterprise - New 17 June 2002
-- DataStream Lite - New 17 June 2002
-- GeoEnviron - New 5 January 2002

Groundwater flow (2D)

-- Cazenove - Updated 5 January 2002
-- Frac2D - New 5 January 2002

Groundwater modelling

-- wtProfile - New 5 January 2002 - See my pick of the new programs below

GENERAL PROGRAMS

Borehole log production

-- GEOLOG - Updated 16 June 2002
-- Pocket WinLoG - New 16 June 2002 - See my pick of the new programs below
-- QuickLog - Updated 5 January 2002

Contract Planning and Management

-- eDICTS - New 18 June 2002 - See my pick of the new programs below
-- GoalSmith - New 5 January 2002
-- opsEnvironmental - New 18 June 2002

Data input

-- DigiGraph - Updated 16 June 2002
-- Digitize-Pro - New 5 January 2002
-- FlexiTrace - New 5 January 2002
-- Grab It! - New 5 January 2002 - See my pick of the new programs below
-- Grafula3 - New 5 January 2002
-- Graph Digitizer - New 5 January 2002
-- TechDig - New 5 January 2002
-- tsEdit - New 5 January 2002
-- UN-SCAN-IT - New 5 January 2002
-- UnGraph - New 5 January 2002

Educational

-- GRONDMEC - New 16 June 2002
-- Productivity Tools for Geotechnical Engineers - Updated 5 January 2002
-- SOILMECH - New 16 June 2002
-- SOLMEX - New 16 June 2002

Geographical information systems

-- ALOV Map - New 5 January 2002 - See my pick of the new programs below
-- GeoGIS - New 16 June 2002
-- GIS Developer Kernel - New 18 June 2002

Geological modelling

-- QuickCross-Fence - Updated 5 January 2002
-- QuickGIS - New 5 January 2002
-- Target (Oasis montaj) - New 20 June 2002

Geophysics (surface)

-- Earth Science Geophysics - New 20 June 2002
-- Geophysical Modelling Plus - New 20 June 2002
-- TEM-BZ - New 17 June 2002

Image analysis

-- Aerial Imagery Corrector - New 16 June 2002

Mapping

-- CARIS GEMM - New 16 June 2002
-- GT Cadscript - New 16 June 2002
-- OASIS Montaj - Updated 20 June 2002
-- xatelliteShape - New 5 January 2002

Numerical analysis utilities

-- FEPG - New 18 June 2002
-- MEG - New 18 June 2002

Plotting (2.5D & contouring)

-- CoPlot - Updated 5 January 2002
-- Digital 'X' Model Lite - New 16 June 2002 - See my pick of the new programs below
-- Graphis - New 17 June 2002

Plotting (2D x-y)

-- TechGraf - New 5 January 2002

Plotting (3D visualisation)

-- Grid 3D - New 20 June 2002

Plotting (special)

-- EZGraph - Updated 5 January 2002

Plotting and statistics

-- CoStat - Updated 5 January 2002

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My pick of the new programs

As always, this section has to be preceded by a disclaimer. The programs listed below are ones that caught my eye as being useful/interesting/different from the many submissions I receive. I have not tried any of these programs, and I am not making a recommendation. It is up to you to make your own choice. Some of these may not be "New" programs, but their entry in GGSD is new. That said, here is my pick. All the programs run under Windows, or on PDAs, or are accessed over the internet via a normal web browser.

GEOTECHNICAL PROGRAMS

Dynamics (behaviour and earthquake) -- QUAKE/W

QUAKE/W is a finite element program for the dynamic analysis of earth structures subjected to earthquake shaking. Earthquake records can be imported and the peak acceleration and time duration of the records can be scaled for site-specific conditions. The user can select a group of nodes and produce an x-y graph of any parameters versus space or time. All computed parameters can be contoured. It has linear-elastic and equivalent linear constitutive models.

Laboratory testing (soil) -- LabLogic

LabLogic is a relational database accessed via the internet for the management and reporting of laboratory testing. It contains quality control, project management, data entry and analysis tools. At the present time test types are limited to compressive strength, field density, proctor compaction and some soils index tests.

Piles (lateral loading and groups) -- SWM

The SWM program uses the Strain Wedge Model to analyse soil-pile interaction in 3D, in order to develop the soil modulus of subgrade reaction profile. The p-y curve assessed is a function of pile bending stiffness, pile head embedment, pile head fixity, and pile cross-sectional shape. The problem is then analysed in 1D as a beam on an elastic foundation to determine bending moments and displacements.

Piles (single) -- WinPost

WinPost is a low cost program that determines pole embedment depth and stress information for posts such as signs or lamp-posts.

Reinforced slopes and walls -- TensarWall

TensarWall is one of the many free programs supplied by geogrid manufactures for designing reinforced soil using their proprietary products.

Rock mechanics -- Rockmate

Rockmate optimises drilling and blasting operations where the geometry of the rock face has been determined using laser non-contact surveying techniques. The blast is modelled to determine fragmentation and environmental discharges.

Settlement analysis -- WINSAF-I

WINSAF-I computes 1D settlements for a range of foundation shapes using compressibility parameters determined from oedometer tests. Stresses are found from either Bossinesq's or Westergaard's solutions for vertical surface loads on a half-space. The user can specify the prior stress history to separate compression, recompression, and rebound effects.

Slope stability (rock) -- RocPlane

RocPlane evaluates the probability of failure of potentially unstable planar wedges in a rock slope. The Mohr-Coulomb, Hoek-Brown, Generalised Hoek-Brown, Barton-Bandis and Power Curve shear strength models are supported. Deterministic (Safety Factor), probabilistic (probability of failure analysis) and sensitivity analyses may be carried out.

Slope stability (soil) -- FLAC/Slope

Itasca enter the crowded slope stability market with FLAC/Slope which uses the explicit 2D finite difference method to model slope stability problems. The method differs from the more common Limit Equilibrium methods in that there is no need to specify a range of trial surfaces in advance; the failure surface evolves naturally during the analysis. Slope reinforcement such as rock bolts, soil nails or geogrids are modelled as fully coupled deforming elements, rather than as equivalent forces.

GEOENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS

Contaminant transport (3D) -- ChemFlux

ChemFlux is a contaminant flow modelling program with automatic mesh generation that includes water and contaminant flow through the unsaturated zone.

Groundwater modelling -- wtProfile

wtProfile is a free groundwater flow model for simulating the water table elevation in an unconfined aquifer using the Dupuit-Forscheimer theory.

GENERAL PROGRAMS

Borehole log production -- Pocket WinLoG

Pocket WinLoG is used to enter ground investigation data in the field directly onto a PDA. The data can contain all the information needed to produce a borehole log including general header and footer information, borehole depths, elevation, lithologies, samples, well data, remarks, graphs, water contents, core, symbols and memos. The data is transferred to WinLoG on a desktop PC where a borehole log can be printed from a user formatted template.

Contract Planning and Management -- eDICTS

eDICTS is an on-line or networked database for managing and sharing environmental data, policies, procedures and reports.

Data input -- Grab It!

Grab It! runs in Excel and provides the means to digitise on screen a scanned version of a graph. The generated x-y data is stored directly in the spreadsheet. It handles linear and log scales, date and time axes, and High/Low/Close graphs.

Geographical information systems -- ALOV Map

ALOV Map is a set of free Java programs that provide GIS capability via the internet. Spatial and attribute data in an SQL database or Shapefiles is served to a Java servlet viewer that renders and displays the map data within a web page. A publishing program is used to describe and register data on the server. The viewer supports multiple map layers, thematic maps, hyperlinked features and attribute data.

Plotting (2.5D & contouring) -- Digital 'X' Model Lite

Digital 'X' Model Lite is a low cost, simple contouring program. It can produce triangulated data, contours, isopachytes and spot levels.