The GPlates project was started by Professor in 2006. By the end of 2010, the GPlates 1.0.0 was released. The latest release is GPlates 2.2 in August 2019. A user manual and tutorials are available online. Below is a list of major releases of GPlates.
2008-05-23: GPlates 0.9.2
2009-06-17: GPlates 0.9.5
2010-12-20: GPlates 1.0.0
2011-05-21: GPlates 1.1
2012-01-30: GPlates 1.2
2013-05-29: GPlates 1.3
2014-04-18: GPlates 1.4
2015-02-14: GPlates 1.5
2016-02-04: pyGPlates beta revision 12 released
2016-11-18: GPlates 2.0.0
2018-08-08: pyGPlates beta revision 18 released
2018-08-08: GPlates 2.1.0
2019-08-30: GPlates 2.2.0
Functionality
GPlates enables both the visualization and the manipulation of plate-tectonic reconstructions and associated data through geological time:
Load and save geological, geographic and tectonic feature data.
Assign feature data to tectonic plates.
Reconstruct feature data to past geological times.
Query and edit feature properties and geometries.
Modify reconstructions graphically.
Visualize vector and raster data on the globe or in one of the map projections.
Visualize sub-surface 3D scalar fields as isosurfaces or 2D cross-sections.
Export reconstructed data as a time-sequence of exported files.
Use plate polygons to calculate velocity fields.
Contributors
GPlates is developed by an international team of scientists and professional software developers at:
GPlates uses the to represent geological data in a Plate tectonics context. The is an XML implementation of the GPGIM derived from the Geography Markup Language.
GPlates Python Binding
The GPlates Python library enables access to GPlates functionality via the Python programming language. It allows users to use GPlates in a programmatic way and hence provides much more flexibility than the GPlates desktop interface can offer. The first beta release of pyGPlates is available for . Reference documentation and tutorials are also available for .
The GPlates Web Portal is a gateway to a series of GPlates-based web applications. The portal was launched in 2014. is the architect and chief programmer. Initially the portal was hosted on . Later on, it was migrated to Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud. Below is a list of applications in GPlates Web Portal. * * * * * * * * The is used to render the 3D globe in a web browser.
Media
The Guardian
wired.com
Industry Advocate
Orma
Select Publications
Below is a list of select publications of GPlates.
Plate tectonic raster reconstruction in GPlates
Next-generation plate-tectonic reconstructions using GPlates
The GPlates Geological Information Model and Markup Language
An open-sourcesoftware environment for visualizing and refining plate tectonic reconstructions using high-resolution geological and geophysical data sets
Plate Reconstructions with Continuously Closing Plates
Visualizing 3D mantle structure from seismic tomography and geodynamic model predictions of the India-Eurasia and East Asia convergence zone
Application of open-source software and high-resolution geophysical images to explore the plate tectonic evolution of Australia
A Custom Implementation for Visualizing Sub-surface 3D Scalar Fields in GPlates
The GPlates Portal: Cloud-based interactive 3D visualization of global geophysical and geological data in a web browser
