Cave-PY a QGIS plugin to identify cave levels from geospatially referenced cave surveys

Cave-PY is a QGIS plugin developed to identify and analyze cave levels from geospatially referenced cave survey data. Cave levels, cave tiers, or cave stories are subhorizontal passages in karst systems that develop at different elevations due to base level changes or litho-structural factors. This algorithm processes point cloud data by calculating horizontal distances between survey points based on user-defined slope thresholds and proximity radius parameters. The horizontal extent is grouped into elevation classes to identify potential cave levels. We use Stortuvhola cave located in Northern Norway, a multi-level system, where we demonstrate the plugin's ability to effectively reveal cave levels from both survey station data and complete cave survey datasets. The sensitivity tests we performed highlight the importance of appropriate parameter selection based on survey characteristics. While Cave-PY offers an efficient method for the initial extraction of cave levels, it is important that the results are validated through morphological criteria and cave survey information for correct interpretation. We believe this tool addresses a gap in the existing methodology for geospatial analysis of caves.