Radley Agricultural Land Classification Survey: Detailed Soil Maps and Reports, 1989-1999

England and Wales agricultural land survey data from the Radley site, 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 uses the grading methodology from the 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' publication.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land capability based on the detailed grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyze soil characteristics and variability using the available unedited sample point soils data and pit descriptions.
• Map historical land quality for comparative studies against modern surveys based on the scanned original maps.
• Assess the subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b for more granular agricultural planning.

Strengths

• Data collection spans a decade (1989-1999), providing a temporal snapshot of land quality.
• Includes detailed subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b.
• Original survey maps are available at varying scales, typically 1:10,000.

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 (MAFF), via Natural England and the Government Digital Service.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted by MAFF, with results captured in paper maps and reports later scanned.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

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

Geography

Radley site in England and Wales (specific location implied by survey name).