License and disclaimer

License

The aXqua library is distributed under the BSD 3-Clause License. The QGIS plugin is distributed under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or later, because it uses the programming interface of QGIS. The full text of the BSD 3-Clause License:

BSD 3-Clause License

Copyright (c) 2026, Sebastian Schwindt

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this
   list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice,
   this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation
   and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

3. Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its
   contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from
   this software without specific prior written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS"
AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE
DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE
FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR
SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER
CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY,
OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE
OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

The input data of the example case (Example case) are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. They may be reused and adapted for any purpose, provided that aXqua is cited, and they are provided without warranty and without liability. The file LICENSE.md in the folder of the example states the terms and the citation.

Disclaimer

axqua automates the setup of numerical hydro- and morphodynamic models; it does not validate the physical correctness of any model it produces. The software is provided “as is”, without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement (see the license text above).

In particular, users remain responsible for:

the quality, accuracy and coordinate reference of all input data (DEMs, boundaries, discharge, measurements);
the physical plausibility of mesh resolution, friction laws, boundary conditions and sediment parameters;
verifying that a generated model converges and reproduces observations before drawing any conclusion from its results;
interpreting calibration outcomes and their associated uncertainty.

Numerical model results can be sensitive to choices made during setup. Generated models must be reviewed by a qualified modeler and should not be used for design, operational or safety-critical decisions without independent verification. The authors and contributors accept no liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of this software or of the models it produces.

Third-party software

axqua orchestrates and depends on independent third-party software, including QGIS, TELEMAC, GAIA, OpenFOAM, gmsh, GDAL, HydroBayesCal, VisIt and ParaView, each distributed under its own license and terms. Installing and using those tools is subject to their respective licenses.