ALCL06997: Detailed Agricultural Land Classification Survey for Wylam, 1989-1999

Wylam, England, is the subject of this detailed post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) survey. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps and survey reports for a site surveyed between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, using the grading methodology from the official guidelines. For some surveys, unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions are also available.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land capability based on the official grading methodology described in the survey guidelines.
• Analyze soil quality variations within Grade 3 land using the provided subgrades 3a and 3b.
• Integrate historical land classification data with modern GIS layers for land-use change analysis.
• Validate soil models using unedited sample point data and soil pit descriptions where available.

Strengths

• Based on the official 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' methodology, ensuring standardized grading.
• Includes detailed subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b for finer analysis.
• Contains original scanned maps and reports, preserving the primary survey record.

Limitations

• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Maps were created at varying scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000, which may affect spatial consistency.

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (survey), Natural England and Ordnance Survey (copyright).

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted by government agencies, with results compiled into maps and reports.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

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

Geography

Wylam, Tynedale District, England