Written as part of the CoMITAC project, MSAT provides a set of Matlab functions for handling, analysing and visualising elastic tensors. This software is freely redistributable for both commercial and non-commercial use, and source files, documentation and further information are available from the MSAT homepage.

Originally written as part of the NERC project eMinerals, FoX is currently maintained by Andrew Walker. It provides an extensive library for reading and writing XML (and specific flavours like CML and KML). This software is freely redistributable for both commercial and non-commercial use, and source files, documentation and further information are available from the FoX homepage.

We have instigated a project, funded via the HECToR dCSE support program, to improve the stability and performance of the SPECFEM3D_GLOBE application on HECToR and similar large supercomputers. SPECFEM3D_GLOBE implements the spectral finite element to allow the efficient simulation of the full seismic waveform for a generally anisotropic, heterogeneous model of the Earth. We use this code to provide an important link between our seismic observations and our models of the deformation of the lowermost mantle but there are a large number of other potential uses. In the dCSE project we will improve the code’s efficieny and reliability on HECToR, and add more general models of the Earth’s elasticity. The project is funded for five months’ FET effort over a one-year period, and the majority of the work is being undertaken by Paul Roberts (NAG). The project is being led by Andy Nowacki with assistance from James Wookey and Andrew Walker. We aim to merge our changes back into the main SPECFEM3D_GLOBE code base and will make patches and the project’s final report available here.