How Dutch subsurface professionals find, understand, and share information: a sector-wide survey

Abstract. Safe and effective subsurface governance depends on information that is transparent, accessible, and independently verifiable. However, while much research has examined how geoscientists communicate with the public, little is known about how information moves among the professionals who research, regulate, conduct, and contest subsurface activities. We surveyed 135 professionals from more than 55 organizations across the Dutch subsurface sector, spanning research institutes, universities, national and regional government, advisory bodies, industry, and consultancy, on how they find, understand, trust, and share subsurface information, and where each breaks down. In general, finding or understanding information was not perceived as particularly difficult, but respondents still reported barriers to both: fragmentation across sources was by far the most frequently cited obstacle, and information was often insufficiently documented and explained. Intellectual property concerns and limited time and capacity mostly constrained sharing. Information flowed mainly within clusters of professionally similar organizations, with (environmental) NGOs and community organizations largely disconnected from the rest of the sector. Respondents strongly valued transparent communication of uncertainty but reported that it was insufficiently practiced and poorly taught within their organizations. Knowledge institutions scored highest on source credibility, including trustworthiness, while organizations at the sector's periphery were rated lower. The Dutch subsurface information system thus works reasonably well for those at its center but poorly reaches those at its edge. We identify four recommendations for policy and practice: a curated and standardized national information platform, the extension of information flows to civil society, guidance on communicating uncertainty, and greater transparency from less-credible sources.