ALCC04990: Post-1988 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 surveyed in detail between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food. Surveys use the grading methodology from "Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales" and map Grade 3 subdivisions 3a and 3b. The dataset is provided by the Government Digital Service and contains Ordnance Survey data under Crown copyright.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical agricultural land quality based on the detailed ALC grading methodology.
• Map land capability subdivisions for Grade 3 land based on the reported 3a and 3b classifications.
• Correlate soil pit descriptions and unedited sample point data with land classification maps.
• Study changes in land-use potential at specific surveyed sites like Swardeston and Gowthorpe Manor.

Strengths

• Data follows the established grading methodology described in "Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales".
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b, providing finer detail.
• Contains ancillary data like unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions for some surveys.

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

Government Digital Service, Natural England, Ordnance Survey

Collection Method

Scanned original paper maps and survey reports from detailed site surveys.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Geography

Individual sites in England and Wales, including Swardeston and Gowthorpe Manor