Agricultural Land Classification Survey: Middleton, Ancton Road (1989-1999)

Original paper maps and survey reports for a detailed Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) site survey conducted between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The data includes scanned maps at scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000, with some surveys providing unedited soil sample point data and pit descriptions. The survey uses the grading methodology from the 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' publication.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical land quality for planning decisions based on detailed Agricultural Land Classification grades.
• Train models to predict soil quality or land suitability based on scanned survey maps and soil pit descriptions.
• Conduct longitudinal studies of agricultural land use change based on surveys from a defined decade.
• Digitize and vectorize historical land classification boundaries from scanned paper maps for GIS integration.

Strengths

• Uses the official grading methodology described in the 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' publication.
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b for more detailed analysis.
• Some surveys contain unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; Natural England; Ordnance Survey.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, with results captured in original paper maps and reports.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Geography

Middleton, Ancton Road (Arun LP Sites 10 A+B+C), England and Wales.