Agricultural Land Classification Survey: Scholes, Arthursdale (1989-1999)

Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) survey data for the Scholes and Arthursdale site in Leeds, 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 sourced from Natural England and Ordnance Survey.

Use Cases

• Classifying agricultural land capability based on the detailed grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyzing soil characteristics and variability using the available unedited sample point soils data and pit descriptions.
• Mapping land quality for planning purposes based on the scanned original maps at scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000.
• Studying historical land use changes by comparing this detailed survey data with more recent classifications.

Strengths

• Uses the current grading methodology as described in the official 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' publication.
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b for more granular analysis.
• Contains original survey materials, including scanned maps and reports, providing primary source detail.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Row count and file formats are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; Natural England; Ordnance Survey.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999, with data digitized from original paper maps and reports.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

null

Geography

Scholes, Arthursdale (Leeds), England, United Kingdom