Original paper maps and survey reports for detailed agricultural land classification surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food. The data includes scanned maps at scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000, unedited soil sample point data, and detailed soil pit descriptions for some sites. Natural England provides this dataset, which contains Ordnance Survey data.
Use Cases
- Analyze historical agricultural land quality based on detailed soil survey reports.
- Map land classification grades, including Grade 3 subdivisions, based on scanned original maps.
- Study soil characteristics at specific points based on unedited sample point data.
- Compare land classification methodologies across different survey sites.
Strengths
- Survey data uses the current grading methodology as described in the official 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' publication.
- Includes subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b.
- Original maps are scanned at varying scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000.
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
- Collection Method
- Scanned original paper maps and survey reports from detailed site surveys.
- Time Range
- 1989 to 1999
- Geography
- Shildon, West Lodge Farm (England)