Didcot Oval: Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification Survey Maps and Reports

Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) survey data for the Didcot Oval site, collected by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food between 1989 and 1999. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps and survey reports, detailing land grades including the subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b. Some surveys also contain unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Use Cases

• Analyzing historical land quality for planning based on the detailed Agricultural Land Classification grades.
• Mapping soil characteristics and variability based on the available unedited sample point soils data.
• Studying changes in agricultural land capability over a specific period based on the 1989-1999 survey timeframe.

Strengths

• Data follows the established grading methodology described in the 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' guidelines.
• Includes detailed subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b for finer analysis.
• Original maps were produced at varying scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000, suggesting different levels of spatial detail.

Limitations

• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale ML projects.
• 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 (UK), via Natural England and the Government Digital Service.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys involving soil analysis and mapping.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

null

Geography

Didcot Oval, England, United Kingdom