ObsPy: A Python Toolbox for Seismology/Seismological Observatories

Python enables the user to combine the possibilities of a full-blown programming language with the flexibility of an interactive scripting language. Its extensive standard library and many freely available high quality scientific modules cover most needs in developing scientific processing workflows. The goal of the ObsPy project (http://www.obspy.org) is to facilitate rapid application development for seismology by extending Python's capabilities to fit the specific needs that arise when working with seismological data. It provides read and write support for many common waveform file formats (e.g. MiniSEED, SAC, GSE2, SEISAN, ...) and metadata formats (e.g. SEED, Dataless SEED, XML-SEED, RESP, ...). Several available client modules make it possible to directly acquire waveform data and metadata as well as earthquake event data from data centers communicating with ArcLink (http://www.webdc.eu), Fissures (http://www.iris.edu/dhi) and SeisHub servers (http://www.seishub.org) and by connecting to webservices provided by IRIS (http://www.iris.edu/ws/) and NERIES (http://www.seismicportal.eu/). Finally there is a growing signal processing toolbox that covers many often needed routines for filtering, triggering, instrument correction/simulation, complex trace analysis, array analysis and many more. Recent additions to ObsPy include calculation of probabilistic power spectral densities, relative instrument calibration and wrappers for the IASPEI-tau traveltime package and IRIS's evalresp. In combination with well developed, free Python packages like NumPy (http://numpy.scipy.org), SciPy (http://scipy.org), IPython (http://ipython.scipy.org), Matplotlib (http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net) and PyQt (http://www.riverbankcomputing.co.uk/software/pyqt), ObsPy makes it possible to develop complete workflows in Python, ranging from reading/requesting data via signal analysis and data processing to visualization in GUI applications and output of modified or derived data. ObsPy is developed in a test-driven approach, it has a modular architecture which aims at minimizing the dependencies and is available under the GPL/LGPLv3 licences. ObsPy is tested and running on Linux, MacOSX and Windows XP/Vista/7.