ALCC08593: Agricultural Land Classification Survey Maps and Reports

Spalding, Childers South Drove survey provides detailed Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) data collected by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food between 1989 and 1999. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps, survey reports, and unedited soils data for individual sites, mapped at scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000. It uses the grading methodology from the official 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' guidelines.

Use Cases

• Assess agricultural land capability based on detailed soil classification grades.
• Map land quality variations using the subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b.
• Integrate historical soil survey data with modern GIS systems using scanned maps and reports.
• Analyze soil characteristics using unedited sample point data and soil pit descriptions.

Strengths

• Survey data collected by a government ministry (MAFF) over a 10-year period (1989-1999).
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b, providing finer detail.
• Contains multiple data types: scanned maps, reports, and unedited soils data.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the specific survey sites and period.

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (MAFF), Natural England, Ordnance Survey

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999, following official ALC methodology.

Time Range

1989-1999

Geography

Spalding, Childers South Drove (England)