Agricultural Land Classification: Detailed Site Surveys from 1989-1999

Natural England provides the Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) detailed survey data for the 'Grafty Green, Church Road' site. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps and reports for sites surveyed between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, using the grading 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

• Classify agricultural land capability based on the detailed grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyze soil characteristics and subgrade variations (e.g., 3a vs. 3b) using the available point data and pit descriptions.
• Integrate historical land classification maps with modern geospatial datasets for change detection.
• Train models to predict land quality from soil survey attributes mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Data is based on the established 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' methodology.
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b for more granular analysis.
• Some surveys provide unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Limitations

• Row count, file formats, and column-level documentation are unknown.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Data is derived from scanned paper maps and reports from 1989-1999, which may limit digital analysis.

Provenance

Source

Natural England, incorporating data originally from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999, with results captured in paper maps and reports that were later scanned.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

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

Geography

Specific to the 'Grafty Green, Church Road' site in England (Maidstone LP Site 81).