Agricultural Land Classification Survey: Bickton Site with Soil Data

Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) survey data for the Bickton 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 classification guidelines. Some surveys also contain unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land capability based on the detailed grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyze soil properties and variability using the available unedited sample point soils data.
• Map historical land quality at varying scales (from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000) for regional planning comparisons.
• Study the subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b for more granular agricultural potential assessment.

Strengths

• Includes original scanned maps and reports, preserving the detail of historical surveys.
• Surveys use the current grading methodology as described in the official 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' guidelines.
• Some surveys contain additional unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality, file formats, and column definitions require manual inspection after download.
• Row count, file size, and last update date are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect temporal bias inherent to the 1989-1999 collection period.

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; Natural England.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999, with results captured in paper maps and reports that were later scanned.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Geography

Bickton, Salisbury Road (Hampshire), England.