python-ags4: A Python library to read, write, and validate AGS4 geodata files

Data gathered from geotechnical, geoenvironmental, and geophysical investigations can be
broadly described as “geodata”. The AGS4 data format (Association of Geotechnical and
Geoenvironmental Specialists, 2011, 2017, 2021b, 2022) is one of the most widely used data
transmittal formats for geodata and is used across the world. It is a plain text format consisting
of multiple tables of comma-separated values, tied together with a robust data schema and a
comprehensive suite of validation rules. The basic structure of an AGS4 file is shown in Figure
1.
Figure 1: Simplified schematic of AGS4 data structure
Source: Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists (2022)
python-ags4 is a Python library that provides functionality to read, write, and validate AGS4
geodata files. It provides users with a gateway to access the full power of the Python ecosystem
to explore, analyze, and visualize geodata. Pandas DataFrame (The pandas development team,
2020) is the primary data structure used within the library, therefore it can handle relatively
large datasets reasonably fast. The data validation module checks the file for compliance with
the validation rules and provides a detailed error report. An example error report is shown in
Figure 2.