Agricultural Land Classification Survey: Appleton Golf Course, 1989-1999

Original paper maps and survey reports for the Appleton Golf Course site, graded using the post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) methodology. The data was collected by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food between 1989 and 1999, with maps at scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000. Some surveys also include unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land capability based on the detailed ALC grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyze soil quality variations using the unedited sample point soils data and pit descriptions available for some sites.
• Map land-use suitability at a local scale using the scanned original maps, which range from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000 detail.
• Study historical land classification changes by comparing this post-1988 survey data with earlier or later surveys.

Strengths

• Uses the current ALC grading methodology, which subdivides Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b for finer detail.
• Includes scanned original paper maps and reports, preserving the primary survey data.
• Contains unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions for some surveys, offering raw observational data.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale ML tasks.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified as the survey period ended in 1999.

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (UK), via Natural England and the Government Digital Service.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted by field experts, with results recorded on paper maps and in reports.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Survey data collection ended in 1999; dataset freshness is historical.

Geography

Appleton Golf Course site (specific location in England and Wales)