Maidstone Agricultural Land Classification Survey with Soil Data, 1989-1999

Post 1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) site survey data for the Maidstone, Sutton Road site. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps and survey reports for individual sites surveyed in detail between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food. Unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions are also available for some surveys.

Use Cases

• Classifying agricultural land quality based on the detailed grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Mapping land capability for planning purposes based on the scanned maps at scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000.
• Analyzing soil characteristics for specific sites using the unedited sample point soils data and pit descriptions.

Strengths

• Includes the subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b, providing finer detail.
• Original survey data from a defined time period (1989-1999) conducted by a government ministry.
• Contains both geospatial map data and textual soil descriptions for some surveys.

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 site and era.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys, mapping, and soil sampling conducted between 1989 and 1999.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

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

Geography

Maidstone, Sutton Road (Maidstone LP Site 83), England.