What is Open Geotechniek Studio?
Open Geotechniek Studio is a desktop application for visualising and analysing geotechnical data from the Dutch national subsurface registry (BRO). Open any GEF or BRO-xml file and inspect sounding or boring data with automatic Robertson SBT classification, soil layer detection and stratification.
- CPT soundings (GEF format) — cone resistance, friction, pore pressure
- Borings (BRO-xml) — soil types per NEN5104, BIMRO/IMBRO/A quality regimes
- Robertson SBT classification — automatic soil type detection per depth
- Multi-tab — compare several soundings/borings side by side
- Map view — all measurements on location (RD coordinates)
- Reporting — export to PDF for project files
Why Open Geotechniek Studio?
Geotechnical software in the Dutch market is often expensive and fragmented: different tools for soundings, borings, pile calculations and reporting. Open Geotechniek Studio brings it together — free, open source and fully compliant with Dutch standards (BRO, NEN5104, IMBRO/A).
For the entire civil engineering and infrastructure sector: from foundation engineers to utility contractors, from structural engineers to water-board projects. Read BRO data directly, export to IFCX for BIM integration, and share professional reports without license costs.
Supported standards
Open Geotechniek Studio reads and interprets the official Dutch geotechnical formats:
- GEF — Geotechnical Exchange Format for CPT soundings
- BRO-xml (BHR-GT) — Dutch Key Registry of the Subsurface, geotechnical borehole research
- NEN 5104 — Geotechnical description of soil samples
- IMBRO / IMBRO-A — BRO information model (quality regimes)
- Robertson SBT — Soil Behaviour Type classification
- RD coordinates — Dutch national triangulation grid for locations
- NAP — Amsterdam Ordnance Datum for ground level and depths
Features
CPT visualisation
Cone resistance (qc), local friction (fs), friction ratio (Rf) and optionally pore pressure (u2) per depth, with crosshair and value overlay.
BHR borings
Visualisation of borings with soil layers, admixtures, structure, humus content and colour — directly from BRO-xml.
Robertson SBT
Automatic Soil Behavior Type classification per Robertson (1990) — from Sensitive fine-grained to Very stiff sand/clay.
Soil stratification
Automatic detection of soil layers per depth (top, bottom, zone). Adjust the stratification yourself based on measurements.
Map view with BRO integration
Interactive map with direct BRO integration: search by address and all available soundings and borings around the location load automatically. Click to view details, open in viewer or add to project.
Cadastre map layers
Topography (BRT), current and historical aerial photos (2016-2025), addresses and streets, AHN elevation map, cadastral boundaries, BAG buildings and BGT topography — all directly from Kadaster PDOK.
Multi-tab
Open multiple CPTs and borings in tabs. Compare depth, layers and properties side by side.
PDF reporting
Generate professional sounding reports with selectable sections: cover, coordinates table, overview map, per-sounding pages, Robertson SBT legend and metadata summary. Suitable for project files, permit applications or clients.
Site drawing
Full drawing functionality for site plans: place soundings and borings, generate sounding grids, RD coordinates, dimension lines, trim/extend/mirror/offset operations. Import images/PDF or SVG frames as reference. Export to professional A3 PDF with OpenAEC title block.
IFC / IFCX export
Export geotechnical data as IFC elements or in IFCX namespace for seamless integration with BIM models and Open Frame Studio.
Metadata
Complete boring and sounding data: registrar, quality regime, drilling method, delivery, description date, NEN5104plus coding.
Raw data (XML)
Inspect the underlying BRO-xml or GEF source directly from the app for verification and debugging.
100% local
All data stays on your own machine. No cloud, no uploads to third parties — privacy and GDPR by default.
⚡ Unique: automated quote requests from sounding companies
Draw a sounding grid on your site plan and click Request quotes. Open Geotechniek Studio searches all Dutch sounding companies in our public catalogue and sends a quote request to the three closest companies, including project details and sounding specifications.
- 43 Dutch CPT contractors in the catalogue (and growing)
- Sorted by distance to the project
- Pre-selection of the 3 nearest — adjustable before sending
- Outlook integration with pre-filled project info, location and specifications
- No middlemen, no commissions — direct contact between client and CPT contractor
- Open source catalogue: companies can add themselves via a GitHub pull request
User profiles
Geotechnical consultants
Quickly review BRO data for pile, foundation and settlement advice. Compare multiple soundings for project interpretation.
Civil engineers
Underpin foundation choices for bridges, viaducts, tunnels and structures based on CPT plots.
Civil infrastructure contractors
Assess excavation depth, soil improvement and dewatering before a civil project starts.
BIM coordinators
Integrate geotechnical data into BIM models via IFCX. One source of truth for above and below ground.
Technology
A Rust computation core for fast parsing of GEF and BRO-xml, a TypeScript frontend for the UI, and Tauri 2 for cross-platform distribution (Windows, macOS, Linux). The same stack as the entire OpenAEC ecosystem for seamless integration.