Please note: BGS Groundhog is a legacy product and is no longer actively supported. The most recent version – Groundhog v2.6 (2022) – is made available under the BGS Software Disclaimer and downloaded at the user’s own risk.
BGS Groundhog was created by BGS to visualise, model and interpret geological and environmental data. Over the last few years BGS has worked with a number of collaborators to add conceptual site model (CSM) functionality and 3D geological modelling into Groundhog Professional, as well as offering the capability for creating maps, borehole logs and geological cross-sections using the no-cost Groundhog Community version. These collaborations have enabled us to extend Groundhog’s usefulness for a number of sectors including the brownfield sector, Geological Survey Organisations and Universities
BGS Groundhog is changing
Groundhog has now reached a point where both CSMs and 3D models can be created and BGS has taken the decision to cease funding for further development of the software. We greatly appreciate the support and user community that has built up around this product over the years and we are pleased to be able to release a final version of the software. BGS have released Groundhog Community and Professional editions as a single version (v2.6) containing all the features and functionality of both the previous editions. This new version will be made available under an Open Government licence and free to use for personal, educational and commercial purposes.
This means, as well as the existing free functionality (including creating borehole logs, importing AGS data, map overlays, drawing cross-sections), everyone will be able to access the CSM and 3D geological modelling functionality at no cost.
Installing GroundHog v2.6 will also provide access to its source code. Please see the ‘src’ folder where you installed the software.
FAQs
With this final release of Groundhog, BGS support, maintenance and development of the software will cease, but the software will continue to be available for users to download under an Open Government License, on an ‘as-is’ basis, and use at their own risk. A full user guide is provided with the software download.
For existing commercial clients who have purchased a license through our reseller Land Quality Management (LQM), with whom we collaborated very closely on the CSM capability, support will remain available for the duration of the licence, independently of BGS. If you are a commercial user who has purchased a license for Groundhog Professional and would like further information, please visit www.lqm.co.uk
For new users, or those whose Groundhog Professional Licence has expired, LQM will be offering some training and support products, available via www.lqm.co.uk
For information on training and support or existing commercial licences for Groundhog Professional, please visit www.lqm.co.uk
If you need to contact BGS regarding these changes then please e-mail enquiries@bgs.ac.uk. Please note that BGS does not offer any maintenance or support assistance for the Groundhog software.
Cyber Essentials Plus statement
Groundhog relies on a number of third-party code libraries and comes with an embedded Java development environment. As Groundhog v2.6 will be the final release, over time these external dependencies will become outdated, and may lead to security vulnerabilities. Those who download and use Groundhog should be aware of this and understand that they do so at their own risk.
Groundhog Desktop is an integrated tool for geological interpretation and modelling work. BGS © UKRI.
