East Dereham Agricultural Land Classification Survey: Scanned Maps and Reports 1989-1999

Scanned original paper maps and survey reports for detailed Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food. The data covers the East Dereham, Bittering Western Extension site, mapping land grades including the subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b, and includes unedited sample point soils data for some surveys. The dataset is provided by the Government Digital Service and contains Natural England and Ordnance Survey copyright material.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land capability based on the detailed grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyze soil characteristics and variability using the unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.
• Integrate historical land classification maps into modern GIS systems for longitudinal land use studies.
• Train models to predict land quality from scanned map features and associated survey annotations.

Strengths

• Original survey data from a defined time period (1989-1999) conducted by a government ministry.
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 land into more detailed subgrades 3a and 3b.
• Some surveys are supplemented with unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Limitations

• Row count, column definitions, and file formats are unknown, limiting suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Maps were scanned at varying scales (1:5,000 to 1:50,000), which may affect consistency and detail.

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (survey), Government Digital Service (platform).

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys with original paper maps and reports, later scanned.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Survey data is from 1989-1999; last update date for the dataset is unknown.

Geography

East Dereham, Bittering Western Extension, England