Questions and answers

No, you don’t need a user account to view and request data using DINOloket. In completing your request you only need to fill an email address on which you would like to receive the files and the code shown on the screen.

The map viewers of DINOloket are made for laptop or desktop screen sizes. Therefore, viewing and requesting data or models using the map on a mobile or tablet is limited; not all functionalities works for those screen sizes.

Visualisations viewable in the module Subsurface data can be saved as png file (image) and in the module Subsurface models as pdf files by using the ‘Save’ button in the visualisation screen.

Searching in the map is can be done by clicking the button with the magnifying glass on the left of the map screen. Then it is possible to specifically go to a particular object via the identification code, an address (municipality, city, street address), a province, a water board, or a specific point via X- and Y-coordinates.
In addition, several ways are available to navigate in the map:

• By scrolling with the mouse wheel you could zoom in and out
• By keeping the left mouse button pressed and moving over the map you could shift the map
• By pressing SHIFT + left mouse button and drawing a square on the map this area will be zoomed in

Using the interactive map and the diverse search functions on DINOloket, you could retrieve and view much data. In addition, you could request these, without our interference and without cost, for use in your own software. Are you not able to fulfil your demand for data, do not hesitate to contact us. Possibly we can help you, for example by performing a specific query. Be aware, such a request is not part of our standard service. Cost will be charged. In that case, you will be informed and presented with a bid in which we offer our services at cost price.

Whatever your subsurface question, DINOloket is happy to help you get started. Our portal offers a wealth of information with lots of data and subsurface models. As the developers of DINOloket, the Geological Survey of the Netherlands, we also have a lot of subsurface knowledge and expertise in-house.

If you are not an expert and are looking for certain subsurface information, we have some tips.

For example, do you want to know more about the subsurface of your house or garden because you want to make a well or install a borehole thermal energy storage system?

First check with your municipality/province (borehole thermal energy) or water board (constructing a water well) under which legal conditions it is allowed to extract groundwater. Each municipality/province and water board have specific rules on what is allowed. So, the reasons why something is or is not allowed may vary per region or even per location. Next, make sure you work with a certified drilling company in the region to carry out the drilling. They know the subsoil and carry out their work according to the applicable standards and guidelines and also know what conditions the construction has to meet.

The Geological Survey of the Netherlands, part of TNO, has information of the subsurface, such as here on DINOloket. So, you can retrieve all information about subsurface structure and groundwater quality at subsurface data. This allows you to get an indication of the local subsurface conditions of the local subsurface. Practical information for using DINOloket can be found at the help-button in the map viewer for subsurface data. When using the old version of the map viewer for subsurface data there is de page Help. Besides, for models you can use the Snelstart page. You can also get an idea of the groundwater quality at ‘Grondwaterstanden in beeld’ on our site www.grondwatertools.nl. It is also important to realize that our subsurface models have a regional character. It gives an indication (probability) of what the structure of the subsurface is at a specific location. You can read more about this on the explanatory pages of the subsurface models. Sometimes local information, for example in the form of data from a borehole, is available, which gives a further indication. So, what the subsoil under your house looks like, for example, cannot be determined exactly with this.

The rather complex structure of the Dutch subsurface requires specific expertise for the use and interpretation of subsurface data and models. Various dedicated consultancy companies can do that for you. The Geological Survey of the Netherlands mainly carries out applied research and ensures that subsurface data is available.

On DINOloket you can consult data about the Dutch subsurface. This data comes from both the DINO database and the Key Register of the Subsurface (BRO). The BROloket only makes BRO data and models available.

As soon as data are delivered to the LV BRO, the next day they are available at DINOloket and BROloket (nightly update). The advantage of the BROloket is that all the data for the legally required use by administrative bodies are in one place. The advantage of the DINOloket is that, in addition to the statutory BRO data, other data and information about the Dutch subsurface is also offered.

Read more about BRO data via DINOloket (Dutch only).

With the arrival of the Key Register of the Subsurface, a lot of data will be transferred from the DINO database to the BRO. However, not everything will be secured in the BRO. Some historical or non-authentic DINO data have re-use value, but do not fit into the new BRO standards. In order to safeguard this information as well, the new GDNR is being developed: the Geological Survey of the Netherlands Repository. This database fulfils an important function in the performance of the tasks of Geological Survey of the Netherlands. Naturally, the Geological Survey will ensure that the data in the GDNR is made accessible via the current DINOloket. So even data that does not go into the BRO will always remain available.

After ‘Subsurface data’ or ‘Surbsurface models’ has been chosen on the home page (green area), an additional tab ‘Explanation’ is shown which you can use to find information about the data types or models: Explanation models and Explanation data.

Make sure that in module Subsurface data the data type ‘Well with research data (DINO)’ is visible on the map. Clicking a specific well on the map using the mouse opens a screen with detail information of that object. The main characteristics are shown here. If groundwater level monitoring is done for the well, than the pipes are listed under ‘Monitoring pipes with series of groundwater levels’ (see image). By clicking on the pipe number, i.e. the code in column ‘Id’, a diagram of the groundwater level monitoring with that pipe is shown. Be aware that not for all wells groundwater level monitoring is available.

Whatever your subsurface question, DINOloket is happy to help you get started. Our portal offers a wealth of information with lots of data and subsurface models. As the developers of DINOloket, the Geological Survey of the Netherlands, we also have a lot of subsurface knowledge and expertise in-house.

If you are not an expert and are looking for certain subsurface information, we have some tips.

For example, do you want to know more about the subsurface of your house or garden because you want to make a well or install a borehole thermal energy storage system?

First check with your municipality/province (borehole thermal energy) or water board (constructing a water well) under which legal conditions it is allowed to extract groundwater. Each municipality/province and water board have specific rules on what is allowed. So, the reasons why something is or is not allowed may vary per region or even per location. Next, make sure you work with a certified drilling company in the region to carry out the drilling. They know the subsoil and carry out their work according to the applicable standards and guidelines and also know what conditions the construction has to meet.

The Geological Survey of the Netherlands, part of TNO, has information of the subsurface, such as here on DINOloket. So, you can retrieve all information about subsurface structure and groundwater quality at subsurface data. This allows you to get an indication of the local subsurface conditions of the local subsurface. Practical information for using DINOloket can be found at Help. You can also get an idea of the groundwater quality at ‘Grondwaterstanden in beeld’ on our site www.grondwatertools.nl. It is also important to realize that our subsurface models have a regional character. It gives an indication (probability) of what the structure of the subsurface is at a specific location. You can read more about this on the explanatory pages of the subsurface models. Sometimes local information, for example in the form of data from a borehole, is available, which gives a further indication. So, what the subsoil under your house looks like, for example, cannot be determined exactly with this.

The rather complex structure of the Dutch subsurface requires specific expertise for the use and interpretation of subsurface data and models. Various dedicated consultancy companies can do that for you. The Geological Survey of the Netherlands mainly carries out applied research and ensures that subsurface data is available.
 

It is possible that the GEFPlotTool produces an error message. This may happen, for example, if the gef file belongs to a image file (.tiff) that was included in the delivery. Such gef file does not contain information for the GEFPlotTool to plot as a curve. For more information on the GEFPlotTool, click here.
An alternative is available with which gef files of drilling scan be opened: Boris & Profiler (in Dutch).

A soon as a new release of one of our models is made available, the newest version is used in DINOloket. Do you want to request an older version of a model? That is possible. Send an email with your request to our Service desk: support@geologicalsurvey.nl.

The explanatory pages of DINOloket shows the citation for each model.

The PDF, which like the GIS file is also available for download at 'subsurface models', is the early 2023 map and currently the most up-to-date version. However, the GIS file will be updated in the coming years and will always be the most up-to-date version from then on. The most up-to-date version can be recognised by the year in the file name.

The seabed-sediment map shows just the composition of the surficial material, regardless of the associated stratigraphy. Thus, sand is always sand. On the geological map, sand of different origin or age is placed in separate units.

The seabed-sediment map represents the top half a meter, whereas the geological map looks at least several meters deep. The Holocene units on this map are mostly represented as a sequence of layers. As a result, there is more ‘depth’ in the geological map, making it possible to tell a more complete story of how the Netherlands developed. The geological map ignores the upper half a meter of North Sea sediment almost everywhere. It is shown only where it is muddy or gravelly, or where the marine sand layer is more than seven meters thick.

Finally, the maps were created in different ways. The digitally drawn geological map shows generalized surfaces called polygons. The seabed-sediment map was made by interpolating 14,000 data points using artificial intelligence. Grid cells of 100 by 100 meters give the map a noisy character.

Cross-sections though models can be created in the module Subsurface models.

Borehole logs that were created during the construction of DGM, DGMdeep, REGIS II and GeoTOP can be viewed and requested in the module Subsurface models.

As soon as you select ‘Subsurface models’ on the home page (green area) ), an additional tab ‘Explanation’ is shown on which information can be found about the models.

The current versions of the subsurface models DGM, DGMdeep, REGIS II and GeoTOP are available in DINOloket.
The models can be viewed and requested in the module Subsurface models. In Explanation the models and the visualisations in DINOloket are briefly explained. Other models (like NL3D) and products derived from the models are available via Grondwatertools.nl (in Dutch).

ArcGIS files of DGM and REGIS II can only be delivered as zip file of a entire province or water board. You receive the provinces or water boards that are part of area you selected. ArcGIS file of GeoTOP and DGMdeep always contain the full coverage area, independent of the selection made. For SubsurfaceViewer files also the entire coverage area of DGMdeep is deliverd, but for the other models (DGM, REGIS II and GeoTOP) only the tiles included in the selection are included.

DINOloket supplies from the DINO repository and the BRO (Dutch Key Register of the Subsurface). You can deliver data that is not part of the BRO to Geological Survey of the Netherlands. You can read more about this on the page Delivering your own data.

The map of the Brackish salt barrier is available on Grondwatertools.nl (in Dutch).

You will find the isohypsis map on Grondwatertools.nl (in Dutch).