Agricultural Land Classification Survey: Bishop Auckland, Hummerbeck (1989-1999)

Post 1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) site survey data for the Bishop Auckland, Hummerbeck area, collected by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps, survey reports, and unedited sample point soils data for sites surveyed in detail between 1989 and 1999. It uses the grading methodology described in 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales,' with maps at scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land capability based on the detailed grading methodology and subgrade 3a/3b distinctions.
• Analyze historical soil characteristics and land quality using the unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.
• Integrate historical land classification maps with modern GIS layers for longitudinal land use change studies.
• Train models for predicting land quality based on features from scanned survey maps and reports.

Strengths

• Data collection spans a defined 10-year period from 1989 to 1999.
• Includes the subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b for finer detail.
• Original survey materials such as scanned maps and reports are available.
• Some surveys include unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted by government agricultural authorities.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Data covers the period 1989-1999; last update date is unknown.

Geography

Bishop Auckland, Hummerbeck (Durham, England)