On the Rhine-Meuse delta datasets and infrastructure:

Utrecht University holds a long tradition of mapping and cataloging the landscape, geomorphology and subsurface architecture of the Rhine-Meuse Delta (RMD). These datasets contain an up-to-date reconstruction of successive channel belts in the subsurface of the Rhine-Meuse delta in the Netherlands.

• A series of Rhine-Meuse delta datasets exist, that are cross-referenced in various ways (not solely on x,y,z but also on sample and coring ID and biblio reference and perhaps most importantly: on age, i.e. their dating in years before present as known from integrated geological, archaeological and historical information). 
• We are actively upgrading the infrastructure storing the RMD data sets (self funded, funded from faculty policy means). The 1.0 versions of the late 1990ies (e.g. Berendsen & Stouthamer 2001; at the time not open data) and the 2.0 versions (e.g. Cohen et al. 2012; files shared as open data, using easy.DANS.knaw.nl as the archiving repository) will be succeeded by a version 3.0, for wich we are setting up a public server (prototyping 2019-2020-2021, expected release 2021-2022) that combine WFS-service (= cloud-delivered GIS data) and 'wiki' functionality (= communal editing) of structured databases (tabular datasets, linked to attributes of GIS data).
• The spatial extent of the datasets tends to expand with every major update. The area that the databases currently cover well exceeds the Rhine-Meuse delta proper (where this research line began in the 1950ies and of which the coverage was completed in 2001). Beyond the Rhine-Meuse delta proper it includes: The IJssel valley and the central Netherlands' lagoon; the Holland back-barrier coastal plain; the Holocene tidal inlets along the entire Dutch coast (incl. Wadden Sea); the Lower Meuse valley ('Limburg') and the Lower Rhine valley (Niederrhein) in Northrhine-Westfalen, Germany.

List of full suite of RM delta datasets:

1. Borehole description database 'LLG'  (Low Land Genesis / Laaglandgenese , v2005, v2010, v2017, v2019, v2021)
   • 134,000 in digital table form, ca. 80,000 1960-1990ies additional legacy coring descriptions on paper only (awaiting data-entry digitalization)
   • including the original field maps from surveys by undergraduate students, graduate students, research staff
   • makes use of a 1:many Header:Body table structure, with 9-position unique borehole IDs  YYYYGRNNN (Year, group, 001-999)
   • makes use of a tailored XML-data scheme (LLG2012Dataset.xsd) to contain and exchanged hand-augered borehole description subsets.
   • for offline fieldwork-support (new data entry, existing data intake, plotting cross-section half products) has tailored software LLG2012 
   • for online data querying has public web interface to the LLG database
   • offline export/conversion routines allow to append the data to queries from national infrastructure (Dinoloket, BRO; v2017)
   • for bulk use has an easy.DANS.knaw.nl archived repository, with extra fields holding data conversions (B&S1967/B&S2001 to NEN5104/SBB).
   • Analogue database maintained since 1968. Digital database maintained since 1990. Past digital formats have been LLG93.DBF, LLG2008.MDB.
   • Legacy boreholes logged by research staff: Open Data since 2017. Legacy boreholes logged by students: anonimized Open Data since 2021 (release in progress).   
2. Digital Basemaps for Rhine-Meuse delta Palaeogeography and query infrastratructue
   • Map layer of channel belt ages RMD (zandbanen; (v 2001, v2012, v2015). Contacts: Cohen, Stouthamer(UU), Berendsen (deceased).
   • Map layer of palaeovalley surface ages (v 2012, v2015, v2017). Contacts: Cohen, Hoek (UU), Woolderink (VU)
   • Map layer of tidal inlet system ages (v 2015): Contacts: Pierik, Cohen (UU)
   • Map layer of coastal barrier ridge ages and drowning age (v 2015). Contacts: Pierik, Cohen (UU)
   • Map layer of inland dunes age and drowning age (v 2015). Contacts: Cohen (UU)
   • Map layer of embanked floodplain ages (v 2014). Contacts: Cohen (UU)
   • Map layer of common era natural levee systems (v 2016). Contacts: Pierik, Cohen (UU)
3. Annotated Radiocarbon dating databases (underpinning the age maps) (v2001, v2012, v2017, v2019)
4. Annotated Geological cross-section databases (v1993, v2003, v2007, v2009)
5. 4D accommodation space models (volume evolving over time)
   • 3D-interpolated (v2003, v2010, v2016) integrating:
   • palaeovalley subsurface mapping
   • relative sea-level rise and groundwater table rise reconstruction
   • reconstructions of historic land surface (original land elevation prior to human induced land subsidence)
6. RMD organic and clastic deposits property databases (v 2009, v2017)
   • bulk density and other properties of peats in various natural and antropogenic compacted states and burial positions.
   • grain-size distributions of bed load, overbank and palaeochannel fill (flood palaeohydrology)
   • and some more including Embanked Floodplain detailed datasets
7. Time-sliced Holocene and Last Interglacial sediment budgets for the full RMD system (v2009, v2018)
8. PalaeoDEMs for various stages of Holocene delta evolution
   • Lateglacial/Early Holocene situation prior to transgression (v2003, v2017)
   • developed Middle Holocene situation with high stand established (v 2017)
   • Roman and Early Medieval times (v 2017, v2019)
9. Rhine-Meuse delta palaeodischarge division schemes (v2016, v2019)
   • network of branches with bifurcation and confluence nodes for time steps between avulsions (Pierik, Cohen, Stouthamer, Kleinhans)
   • contemporary bankfull discharge division estimates (Pierik, Cohen, Van Dinter, Kleinhans)
10. Regional Mapping study GIS files, research datasets and legacy maps, digitalisations, e.g.
    • Dark Ages in the Low Lands (Pierik, Gouw-Bouman, Van Lanen)
    • Living along the Limes (Van Dinter): Oude Rijn, Utrecht
    • Angstel-Vecht channel belt (Bos)
    • Various compaction cases (van Asselen)
    • Lower delta during Transgression (Hijma)
    • IJssel valley (Cohen: Zand in Banen 2009) - https://opendata.gelderland.nl/toepassing/zandbanen 
    • Various channel belt geometry cases (Gouw)
    • Transition Upper-Central Rhine-Meuse delta (Cohen)
    • Various avulsion cases (Stouthamer)
    • Cental and Lower Delta (Tornqvist, Makaske, Van Ree)
    • Various porosity cases (Bierkens, Weerts)
    • Land van Maas en Waal (Hoek, Schorn, Berendsen)
    • Betuwe and Land van Maas en Waal (Berendsen: Zand in Banen 1994/2001)
    • Bommelerwaard (Berendsen, Weerts)
    • Heavy minerals, Gravel composition, Grain size (Berendsen, Ouwerkerk)
    • Kromme Rijn gebied (Berendsen) - https://www.razu.nl/collectie/online-zoeken-in-beelden/?mivast=74&mizig=902&miadt=74&milang=nl&mizk_alle=Berendsen&miview=ldt

Permanent academic staff involved:

Dr. K.M. Cohen, Dr. E. Stouthamer, Dr. W.Z. Hoek, Dr. M. van der Perk, Prof. H. Middelkoop, Prof. M.G. Kleinhans

Frequent external cooperations / power users / users:

• fellow universities: VU Amsterdam, WUR Wageningen, RUG Groningen, UL Leiden, UT Twente, TUD Delft, KU Leuven, Univ Leeds, Univ Cambridge
• research institutes: TNO Geological Survey of the Netherlands, Deltares Research Institute, NIOZ Texel/Yerseke, WEnR Wageningen
• national government & agencies: RCE cultural heritage agency, RWS Rijkswaterstaat directorate for Public Works
  • example Buried Landscapes (national): Map resource description |
    Interactive Web Viewer | GIS downloads / repository archived copy 
  • example Embanked Floodplains (Rhine, Meuse): Map resource description |
    Interactive Web Viewer | GIS downloads / repository archived copy
• regional government: Provinces, Waterboards and Municipalities.
• engineering/geotechnical/geohydrological consultancy firms (dike safety assessment; hydrological assessments)
• archaeological/landscape/soil management consultancy firms (desk study, prospection, planning, excavation prepping)
• geography/geology/landscape educational and geotourism sectors (incl. local museums).
• general interested public (local/regional historical and natural societies)