Introduction

ArchPy package is a tool to create, manipulate and vizualize 3D geological and petro-physical models of the subsurface. It relies on a hierarchical approach to generate these models at different spatial scales. The input data consists of a set of borehole data and a stratigraphic pile. The stratigraphic pile describes formally and in a compact manner how the model should be constructed, such as the relations between the geological features or the modelling parameters.

ArchPy offers a variety of capabilities such as:

  • Various interpolation methods (GRF, Kriging, Spline, etc.)

  • Various simulation methods (MPS, SIS, TPGs, etc.)

  • Coupling with groundwater flow (MODFLOW) using the module archpy2modflow

  • Integration of hierarchy in the modelling process at different spatial scales

  • Input/Output capabilities to read and write borehole data, stratigraphic pile and models

  • Automatic inference of conditioning point

  • Automatic and manual interface for inference of surface parameters

  • Can handle raster and shapefile data

  • Can handle geological maps

  • Cross-validation capabilities

  • and many more…

ArchPy is a pure Swiss product (🫕), produced by the Randlab at University of Neuchâtel.

Installation

ArchPy is available on Pypi and can be installed with pip:

pip install geoarchpy[all]

OR

ArchPy can be installed locally with:

pip install .

when in the main directory.

Alternatively, it is possible to add ArchPy path directly in the python script with sys:

sys.path.append("path where ArchPy is")

and then import ArchPy.

Requirements

ArchPy has been tested with python 3.11

ArchPy requires the following packages:

  • Geone (tested with 1.2.18)

  • matplotlib (tested with 3.10.8)

  • numpy (tested with 1.26.4)

  • scipy (tested with 1.17.1)

  • sklearn (tested with 1.8.0)

  • pandas (tested with 2.3.3)

  • shapely (tested with 2.1.2)

The following packages are optional but are required for some functionalities:

  • pyvista (tested with 0.46.5)

  • yaml (tested with 6.0.3)

  • rasterio (tested with 1.4.4)

  • geopandas (tested with 1.1.3)

  • ipywidgets (tested with 8.1.8)

  • flopy (tested with 3.10.0)

Members of the project

ArchPy is developped, tested and supported by a group of people from the Randlab. These include:

  • Ludovic Schorpp

  • Nina Egli

  • Alexis Neven

  • Julien Straubhaar

  • Philippe Renard

How to cite

A paper was published on the ArchPy concept and its different capabilities. The paper was written with the version 0.1 of ArchPy. It is available with the following Link.

List of references using ArchPy

Schorpp, L., Egli, N., Straubhaar, J., & Renard, P. (2025). ArchPy and MODFLOW: Toward a General Integration of Heterogeneity into Groundwater Models. Groundwater, 63(6), 902-916. [link](https://doi.org/10.1111/gwat.70028)

Schorpp, L., Straubhaar, J., & Renard, P. (2024). From lithological descriptions to geological models: an example from the Upper Aare Valley. Frontiers in Applied Mathematics and Statistics, 10, 1441596 [link](https://doi.org/10.3389/fams.2024.1441596).

Neven, A., & Renard, P. (2023). A novel methodology for the stochastic integration of geophysical and hydrogeological data in geologically consistent models. Water Resources Research, 59(7). [link](https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR034992)

Neven, A., Schorpp, L., & Renard, P. (2022). Stochastic multi-fidelity joint hydrogeophysical inversion of consistent geological models. Frontiers in Water, 4, 989440. [link](https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2022.989440)

Schorpp, L., Straubhaar, J., & Renard, P. (2022). Automated hierarchical 3D modeling of quaternary aquifers: the ArchPy approach. Frontiers in Earth Science, 10, 884075. [link](https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2022.884075)

Contact

For any questions regarding ArchPy, please feel free to contact me at <ludovic.schorpp@unine.ch>