ALCR00989: Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification Survey for Shripney, South

Shripney, South is a detailed Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) survey conducted between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps and reports, with land graded using the methodology from the 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' guidelines. For some surveys, unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions are also available.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical land quality for planning decisions based on detailed ALC grades and subgrades.
• Map soil characteristics and agricultural potential using the provided soil pit descriptions and sample point data.
• Study changes in land classification over time by comparing this post-1988 survey methodology with earlier surveys.

Strengths

• Uses the formal ALC grading methodology as described in the 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' guidelines.
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b for more detailed analysis.
• Contains original survey materials like scanned maps and reports for individual sites.

Limitations

• Row count and column-level documentation are absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Data may reflect temporal and geographic bias inherent to the specific survey period and location.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys with mapping at scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000, typically 1:10,000.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Survey data collected between 1989 and 1999; last update date for the digital record is unknown.

Geography

Shripney, South, England (specific site location).