Agricultural Land Classification detailed Post 1988 survey ALCR10496

Natural England's Etchinghill Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) survey provides detailed site data from 1989 to 1999. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps, survey reports, and for some sites, unedited soil sample point data and pit descriptions. Surveys were conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food using the grading methodology from the 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' guidelines.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land capability based on detailed soil survey reports and grading methodology.
• Analyze soil composition and characteristics based on available unedited sample point and soil pit data.
• Map land use suitability at varying scales (1:5,000 to 1:50,000) for regional planning.
• Study historical land quality assessments from the late 20th century for longitudinal analysis.

Strengths

• Original survey data from a government ministry (MAFF) between 1989 and 1999.
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b for finer detail.
• Contains multiple data types: scanned maps, reports, and for some sites, raw soil sample data.

Limitations

• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the specific survey site and time period.

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), published via Natural England.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys with soil analysis, mapping, and reporting.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

null

Geography

Etchinghill, England (specific site)