Agricultural Land Classification Survey: Ewelme and Goulds Grove, 1989-1999

Natural England's Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) survey for the Ewelme and Goulds Grove sites. The dataset contains scanned original paper maps and survey reports from detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. It includes soil data and pit descriptions for some surveys, with maps at scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land capability based on the detailed grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyze soil characteristics and variability based on the unedited sample point soils data and pit descriptions.
• Map land quality subdivisions, such as Grade 3a and 3b, based on the scanned original paper maps.
• Conduct historical land-use analysis based on surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999.

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, for two specific sites.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Natural England and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys involving soil analysis and mapping.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Data collection period ended in 1999; the dataset is a historical archive.

Geography

Ewelme and Goulds Grove sites in England.