Agricultural Land Classification Survey Maps and Reports, 1989-1999

Detailed Agricultural Land Classification survey data for England and Wales collected between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps and survey reports for individual sites, with soil grades subdivided into 3a and 3b. Survey maps were created at varying scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000, and some surveys include unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical agricultural land quality based on detailed soil grade classifications.
• Map land use suitability for farming using the standardized grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Study soil characteristics and variability based on available sample point data and soil pit descriptions.
• Compare land classification at different scales using maps ranging from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000.

Strengths

• Survey data uses a standardized grading methodology as described in the official 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' publication.
• Grade 3 subdivisions (3a and 3b) provide finer detail for agricultural suitability analysis.
• Includes both geospatial maps and textual survey reports, offering multimodal context.

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

Original paper maps and survey reports scanned from detailed site surveys.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Geography

England and Wales, specific to surveyed sites like Watnell, east