SedSAT3 is an open-source software package developed by the Arash Massoudieh, Allen Gellis, and Cara Peterman-Phippss for sediment source fingerprinting using chemical and isotopic tracers. It provides a graphical user interface and a suite of tools for preprocessing, tracer selection, source apportionment, and diagnostic analysis. The software supports multiple apportionment approaches, including deterministic maximum likelihood estimation, metaheuristic search with genetic algorithms, and Bayesian inference through Markov Chain Monte Ca...

Features

Cross-platform GUI built with Qt6 for managing projects, configuring simulations, and visualizing results.
Data import from Microsoft Excel files with a standardized tab structure.
Preprocessing tools including outlier detection, particle size and organic matter corrections, bracketing analysis, and discriminant function analysis (DFA).
Statistical routines such as ANOVA, automated tracer selection, tracer discriminant power evaluation, distribution fitting, correlation matrices, t-tests, error analysis, Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests, and Box–Cox transformations.
Source apportionment methods:
- Deterministic maximum likelihood (Levenberg–Marquardt optimization)
- Genetic algorithms for global search
- Bayesian inference via MCMC sampling
Results output with visual and tabular summaries, including credible intervals, posterior distributions, predicted concentrations, and diagnostic plots.

Installation

Windows

A precompiled installer is available at:
https://sedsat.org/download

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

You can install SedSAT3 from the prebuilt .deb package:

wget https://github.com/ArashMassoudieh/SedSat3/releases/download/Latest/SedSat3-Linux.deb

sudo apt install ./SedSat3-Linux.deb

This installs SedSAT3 to /usr/local/sedsat3 with:

Executable at /usr/local/sedsat3/bin/SedSat3
Resources at /usr/local/sedsat3/resources
A symlink /usr/local/bin/sedsat3 so you can run the app by typing sedsat3
A desktop launcher at /usr/share/applications/sedsat3.desktop, so the app appears in your GNOME/KDE menu with its icon.

macOS

Build from source (instructions below).

Build from Source

SedSAT3 can be compiled on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The software depends on several third-party libraries and a Git submodule.

Prerequisites

Qt 6 (including qmake or CMake)
GNU Scientific Library (GSL)
Armadillo
QXlsx (included as a submodule)
A C++17 or newer compiler (MSVC, g++, or clang)

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/ArashMassoudieh/SedSat3.git

cd SedSat3

Initialize and update the Utilities submodule:

git submodule init

git submodule update

Build Instructions

Using qmake (quick testing)

qmake SedSat3.pro

make # or `nmake` on Windows

Using CMake (for packaging and distribution)

mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
cmake --build . --parallel
cpack -G DEB   # to generate a Debian package

The .deb file will appear in the build/ folder.

Running SedSAT3

After installation, you can start SedSAT3 in several ways:

From the terminal:
sedsat3
From the applications menu (look for "SedSat3" with its icon).
Or directly:
/usr/local/sedsat3/bin/SedSat3

Quickstart Example

A sample dataset, examples/SampleData.xlsx, is provided to help you get started. It follows the standard tab layout: a Mixture sheet containing the target (receptor) samples and one sheet per source (Forest, Crop, Pasture, Bank). Each sheet has a sample column, particle-size (D50) and organic-carbon (TOC) columns used for size and organic-matter corrections, and one column per elemental or isotopic tracer.

Prepare your source and target sediment data in Excel format, following the standard tab layout (see examples/SampleData.xlsx).
Launch SedSAT3 and create a new project.
Import the Excel file through the GUI.
Apply preprocessing (e.g., tracer selection, corrections).
Configure an apportionment method (e.g., MCMC) and run the analysis.
View outputs such as posterior distributions, source contribution estimates, and diagnostic plots.

Documentation

User Manual: Detailed descriptions of preprocessing routines, tracer selection methods, and apportionment algorithms are provided in the SedSAT3 User’s Manual:(https://github.com/ArashMassoudieh/SedSat-User-s-Manual/blob/main/SedSat_User_s_Manual.pdf)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please fork the repository and submit pull requests. Issues can be reported through the GitHub Issues tab: https://github.com/ArashMassoudieh/SedSat3/issues

License

SedSAT3 is distributed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0). See LICENSE.md.

Disclaimer

This software is preliminary or provisional and is subject to revision. It is being provided to meet the need for timely best science. The software has not received final approval by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). No warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS or the U.S. Government as to the functionality of the software and related material nor shall the fact of release constitute any such warranty. The software is provided on the condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the software.

See DISCLAIMER.md.

Citation

If you use SedSAT3 in your research, please cite:

Massoudieh, A., et al. (2023). SedSAT3: An open-source software for sediment source apportionment. U.S. Geological Survey. https://github.com/ArashMassoudieh/SedSat3

Acknowledgments

SedSAT3 builds on several open-source libraries, including Qt, GSL, Armadillo, and QXlsx. The project also uses the Utilities submodule developed and maintained separately.