A geologist used software created by Christchurch company Seequent to create a 3D model of the Thai cave system.

It was the daring international rescue that had the whole world watching.

Twelve boys and their soccer coach trapped in the Tham Luang Nang Non - a 10km-long underground cave complex in Thailand's Chiang Rai province.

Hundreds were involved in the rescue, from Navy Seals to cave experts.

This included a geologist who used Kiwi software company Seequent's software, Leapfrog Works, to create a 3D model of the cave system by using government data and 2D data.

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SUPPLIED. Identifying possible drill points to source water in Nayapara, Bangladesh for the Rohingya refugees.

The 3D model was then provided to search and rescue teams, along with other data, to assist with the rescue by navigating the caves.

It seems like a large feat for the South Island company, but Seequent are global leaders in their field.

The company is tackling some of the biggest environmental and humanitarian issues in the world, one 3D map at a time.

Their technology imports geographical data and produces - via the software - a 3D model.

The models help users understand what goes on beneath the surface, something not entirely possible with 2D data.

In Bangladesh, the software is being used to help source water for the Rohingya refugees.

Close to a million have fled Myanmar. Their plight has been described by the United Nations as being the result of a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing" by the military offensive in Rakhine.

In the Kutupalong-Balukhali Expansion Camp, which hosts more than a half a million people, the software was used to find areas to set up infrastructure.

SUPPLIED. Seequent chief executive Shaun Maloney - who is behind the software company helping to make the world a better place.

The models will guide the installation of hundreds of wells for the refugees.

Seequent has 13 offices around the world, from Brazil, to Russia and Canada - and they're about to open number 14.

The software has revolutionised the way geological models are developed and used, chief executive Shaun Maloney said.

It's seen the company's revenues grow from around $2 million in 2010, to being on target for $50 million at the end of this financial year.

But what gets Maloney most excited, is that they're actively involved in understanding and helping to manage some of the biggest environmental issues in the world.

"We're helping to save the planet."

SUPPLIED A tunnel in Posiva Oy’s premises at Olkiluoto. Eventually around 35km of bedrock tunnels will contain over 3000 canisters each holding two tonnes of spent nuclear fuel.

In Finland, they have licensed the construction of a disposal facility for nuclear waste - the first country in the world to do so.

Nuclear fuel will be stored in canisters, away from faults and fractures and locations of high groundwater flow, at a depth of between 400m and 450m.

The software will enable those involved to model geology at the nuclear repository site.

Maloney said nuclear waste disposal over a large amount of time, up to a million years, means it's critical to understand the geography of the area.

Eventually, around 35km of bedrock tunnels will have over 3000 canisters each holding two tonnes of spent fuel.

This will ensure radionuclides are not returned to the biosphere and can eventually decay into non-radioactive elements to safeguard the environment and future generations.