Agricultural Land Classification detailed Post 1988 survey ALCL12896

Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) survey data for individual sites in England and Wales, collected by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food between 1989 and 1999. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps, survey reports, and for some surveys, unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions. It is provided by the Government Digital Service and contains Natural England and Ordnance Survey copyright data.

Use Cases

• Classifying agricultural land capability based on the detailed grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyzing historical soil characteristics and land quality based on the available soil pit descriptions and sample point data.
• Mapping land use suitability for planning and development based on the scanned original maps and site-specific survey data.
• Studying the subdivision of Grade 3 agricultural land into subgrades 3a and 3b for more granular analysis.

Strengths

• Data collection spans a defined 10-year period from 1989 to 1999.
• Includes the subdivision of Grade 3 land into more detailed subgrades 3a and 3b.
• Contains multiple data types: scanned maps, reports, and for some sites, raw soils data.

Limitations

• Row count, file formats, 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, indicating potential inconsistency in detail.

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (survey), Government Digital Service (platform).

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999, with results compiled into paper maps and reports later scanned.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Historical data covering 1989-1999; last update date is unknown.

Geography

Individual sites in England and Wales, including the specific site 'Killingworth Moor (N Tyneside UDP Site LE1/4)'.