Minster (Swale LP Site 11): Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification Survey

England and Wales agricultural land survey data for the Minster site, collected by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food between 1989 and 1999. It includes scanned original paper maps, survey reports, and for some surveys, unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions. The data uses the grading methodology from the 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' publication.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land capability based on the detailed grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyze soil characteristics and variability using the available unedited sample point soils data and pit descriptions.
• Map land quality grades, including the subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b, for regional planning.
• Compare historical land classification from 1989-1999 with contemporary data for change detection studies.

Strengths

• Original survey data from a government ministry (MAFF) collected over a defined 10-year period (1989-1999).
• Includes detailed subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b.
• Provides supplementary materials like scanned maps, reports, and for some sites, raw soils data.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Row count and file formats are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys involving mapping and soil analysis.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

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

Geography

Minster (Swale LP Site 11), England and Wales