Surface Wave Multipathing (SWMP)

February 16, 2026 · View on GitHub

License: GPL v3 Python 3.9+

A Python-wrapped Fortran library for surface wave multipathing ray tracing, based on the methodology published in Hauser et al. (2008).

Features

  • 🚀 High-performance Fortran core with modern Python interface
  • 🔄 Parallel execution via ProcessPoolExecutor and schwimmbad (MPI support)
  • 💾 File-free API for in-memory workflows (no temporary files required)
  • 🔧 Integration ready for CoFI/ESPRESSO inverse problem frameworks
  • 📊 Built-in visualization with cartopy and matplotlib
  • 🌍 Multi-coordinate systems supporting both Cartesian and spherical geometries
  • ⚡ Wavefront tracking with multi-arrival detection
  • 📐 Frechet derivatives for inverse problems

Recent Improvements

This version includes several modernizations over the original implementation:

  • CMake-based build system for cross-platform compilation (Linux, macOS, Windows)
  • CoFI/ESPRESSO integration for inverse problem solving
  • Modern Python packaging with PEP 517/518 compliance
  • File-free operation allowing complete in-memory workflows
  • Migration to cartopy from deprecated basemap
  • Parallel processing with multiple backend support

Quick Start

Installation

# Requires: Python 3.9+, gfortran, CMake 3.15+
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/swmp.git
cd swmp
pip install -e .

Production installation:

pip install pyswmp

Basic Usage

import pyswmp
import numpy as np

# Create a simple velocity model
model = pyswmp.create_constant_velocity_model(
    nx=100, ny=80,
    x0=110.0, y0=-45.0,  # Lower-left corner (degrees)
    dx=0.5, dy=0.5,       # Grid spacing (degrees)
    velocity=3.5          # km/s
)

# Define source and receiver positions
sources = pyswmp.Sources(
    positions=np.array([[135.0, -25.0]]),  # [lon, lat]
    source_type=1  # Point source
)

receivers = pyswmp.Receivers(
    positions=np.array([[120.0, -30.0], [140.0, -20.0]])  # [lon, lat]
)

# Configure ray tracing options
options = pyswmp.TrackerOptions(
    coordinate_system=2,  # Spherical coordinates
    max_arrivals=10       # Maximum arrivals per receiver
)

# Run wavefront tracking
tracker = pyswmp.WaveFrontTracker(
    model=model,
    sources=sources,
    receivers=receivers,
    options=options
)

result = tracker.forward()

# Access results
print(f"Computed {len(result.travel_times)} arrivals")
print(f"Travel times: {result.travel_times}")
print(f"Azimuths: {result.azimuths}")

# Convert to pandas DataFrame
df = result.to_dataframe()
print(df.head())

Parallel Execution

from concurrent.futures import ProcessPoolExecutor

# Run with parallel processing
with ProcessPoolExecutor(max_workers=4) as pool:
    result = tracker.forward(pool=pool)

For MPI support:

from schwimmbad import MPIPool

with MPIPool() as pool:
    if not pool.is_master():
        pool.wait()
        sys.exit(0)
    result = tracker.forward(pool=pool)

Documentation

  • API Guide - Complete programmatic API reference
  • File-Free API Status - Implementation status and migration guide
  • Examples - Working examples and Jupyter notebooks
    • basic_usage.py - Simple wavefront tracking
    • file_free_example.py - In-memory operation
    • parallel_forward.py - Parallel execution
    • programmatic_example.py - Complete workflow
  • Scientific Paper - Original methodology

Examples

The examples/ directory contains several demonstrations:

  • ausvel/ - Real-world surface wave propagation across Australia
  • greatcircle/ - Analytical validation with great circle paths

See examples/README.md for detailed descriptions.

Requirements

Build Requirements

  • Python 3.9 or higher
  • CMake 3.15 or higher
  • Fortran compiler (gfortran recommended)

Runtime Dependencies

  • numpy >= 1.21
  • scipy >= 1.7
  • matplotlib >= 3.4
  • cartopy >= 0.20

Optional Dependencies

  • schwimmbad >= 0.3 (for parallel execution)
  • pandas (for DataFrame conversion)
  • pytest >= 7.0 (for development)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Citation

If you use this software in your research, please cite:

@article{hauser2008multiarrival,
  title={Multiarrival wavefront tracking and its applications},
  author={Hauser, Juerg and Sambridge, Malcolm and Rawlinson, Nicholas},
  journal={Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems},
  volume={9},
  number={11},
  year={2008},
  publisher={Wiley Online Library},
  doi={10.1029/2008GC002069}
}

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later - see LICENSE.txt for details.

Authors

  • Juerg Hauser - Original implementation and Python wrappers

Acknowledgments

Original methodology developed by J. Hauser, M. Sambridge, and N. Rawlinson.

References

Hauser, J., Sambridge, M. and Rawlinson, N. (2008). Multiarrival wavefront tracking and its applications. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 9(11), Q11001. https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GC002069