def assert_equal_arrays(a1, a2):
    """
    Check that two arrays are equal.

    This is a simplified method useful when the arrays to be compared may
    not be numeric. It simply compares the shapes of the two arrays and then
    does a value by value comparison.

    Parameters
    ----------
    a1 : array
        The first array to compare.
    a2 : array
        The second array to compare.
    """
    assert a1.shape == a2.shape
    for x, y in zip(a1.flat, a2.flat):
        assert x == y
