ALCC01895a: Agricultural Land Classification Survey Maps and Reports

Post 1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) site survey data includes scanned original paper maps and survey reports for individual sites. Surveys were conducted between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food, mapping land grades including the subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b. Unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions are also available for some surveys.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land quality based on the detailed grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Map soil characteristics and land grades for regional planning based on scanned maps at scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000.
• Analyze soil pit descriptions and unedited sample point data for detailed soil science research.

Strengths

• Survey data uses the current grading methodology as described in the official 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' publication.
• Individual sites have been mapped at varying scales and levels of detail, typically at 1:10,000.
• Data includes the subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b, providing finer granularity.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (survey), Natural England (copyright holder)

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999, with scanned original paper maps and reports.

Time Range

1989-1999

Geography

Loughborough, Shelthorpe (Charnwood District LP, site RT/03), England