ALCR13593: Detailed Agricultural Land Classification Survey Maps and Reports

Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) site survey data includes scanned original paper maps and survey reports for individual sites in England and Wales. Surveys were conducted in detail between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food, using the grading methodology described in the official classification guidelines. Some surveys also contain unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Use Cases

• Map agricultural land quality grades based on the detailed ALC survey methodology
• Analyze soil characteristics for specific sites using available soil pit descriptions and sample point data
• Compare land classification across different scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000
• Study historical land use changes between 1989 and 1999 for specific surveyed sites

Strengths

• Survey data uses the official Agricultural Land Classification methodology for England and Wales
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b
• Contains scanned original paper maps and survey reports for authenticity

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

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

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999, with maps scanned from original paper documents.

Time Range

1989-1999

Geography

Individual sites in England and Wales, specifically Horton (Berks MP OS17)