Agricultural Land Classification Survey: Watchfield Site with Soil Data

Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification survey data for the Watchfield, Majors Road site includes scanned original paper maps and reports. The data was collected between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food using the grading methodology from the official 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' guidelines. Some surveys also contain unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land quality based on the official grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyze soil characteristics and variability using the unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.
• Map land capability for agriculture at scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000 based on the scanned original maps.
• Compare land quality subgrades, such as the subdivision of Grade 3 into 3a and 3b, for detailed agricultural planning.

Strengths

• Data collection follows the official 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' methodology.
• Includes detailed subdivisions of land grades, such as Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b.
• Some surveys contain unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions for granular analysis.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), via Natural England and the Government Digital Service.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys involving soil analysis and mapping, with results recorded on paper maps and in reports.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Data collected between 1989 and 1999; last update unknown.

Geography

Watchfield, Majors Road (Vale Of White Horse H34), England.