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OpenSpecy: Analyze, Process, Identify, and Share Raman and (FT)IR Spectra
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OpenSpecy is a free, open-source software tool that helps researchers analyze Raman and FTIR spectra for identifying and characterizing microplastics and other environmental particles. The tool addresses a key bottleneck in microplastic research by making spectral analysis more accessible and standardized across laboratories.
Raman and (FT)IR spectral analysis tool for plastic particles and other environmental samples (Cowger et al. 2021, ). With read_any(), Open Specy provides a single function for reading individual, batch, or map spectral data files like .asp, .csv, .jdx, .spc, .spa, .0, and .zip. process_spec() simplifies processing spectra, including smoothing, baseline correction, range restriction and flattening, intensity conversions, wavenumber alignment, and min-max normalization. Spectra can be identified in batch using an onboard reference library (Cowger et al. 2020, ) using match_spec(). A Shiny app is available via run_app() or online at .
More Papers Like This
Microplastic Spectral Classification Needs an Open Source Community: Open Specy to the Rescue!
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Researchers developed Open Specy, a free, open-source tool for spectral classification of microplastics using Raman and infrared spectroscopy. The platform addresses a critical gap in microplastic research by providing accurate, cost-free identification tools and a community-shared spectral library that better represents the diversity of environmental microplastic pollutants.
Open Specy 1.0: Automated (Hyper)spectroscopy for Microplastics
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Researchers released Open Specy 1.0, an updated open-source software tool for automated spectroscopic analysis of microplastics, featuring new algorithms for batch processing and hyperspectral image analysis. The tool includes a library of over 40,000 Raman and FTIR reference spectra and two machine learning classifiers for polymer identification. The study demonstrates that this freely available tool can significantly reduce the time required for microplastic spectral analysis, which traditionally takes days per sample.
Toward the Systematic Identification of Microplastics in the Environment: Evaluation of a New Independent Software Tool (siMPle) for Spectroscopic Analysis
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A new free software tool called siMPle was developed to standardize microplastic identification from FTIR spectroscopy across instruments from different manufacturers, using a shared database and automated analysis pipeline. Testing across four different instrument types confirmed the tool produces consistent and comparable results, addressing a major bottleneck in microplastics monitoring.
High-Throughput Analyses of Microplastic Samples Using Fourier Transform Infrared and Raman Spectrometry
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Researchers developed GEPARD, an open-source software package that combines optical particle analysis with automated FT-IR and Raman microspectroscopy to enable high-throughput identification and characterization of microplastics. The system steers spectroscopic measurements based on optically detected particles, enabling efficient polymer typing, size distribution measurement, and color classification.
Microplastic Spectral Analysis App 3
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This paper introduces an updated version of a free software tool that helps scientists identify and analyze microplastics found in samples using light-based spectral data. It doesn't reveal new health findings itself, but it improves the reliability and accuracy of the methods researchers use to detect microplastics, which matters because better detection tools are the foundation for understanding how much plastic contamination exists in our food, water, and bodies, and what risks it might pose.
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