Agricultural Land Classification Survey Maps and Reports, 1989-1999

England and Wales agricultural land survey data collected by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food between 1989 and 1999. It includes scanned original paper maps and survey reports for individual sites, such as Thorpe Thewles Sand And Gravel Site, with soil grading following the methodology described in 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales'. Some surveys also contain unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Use Cases

• Assess agricultural land quality for planning based on the detailed soil grading methodology.
• Analyze historical land use changes based on scanned survey maps from the late 20th century.
• Model soil characteristics for specific sites based on available unedited sample point and soil pit data.

Strengths

• Survey data follows a standardized grading methodology documented in 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales'.
• Original maps and reports are scanned, preserving the detail of surveys conducted at scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000.
• Some surveys include unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

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

Government Digital Service, Natural England, Ordnance Survey

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food.

Time Range

1989-1999

Geography

England and Wales, specific sites like Thorpe Thewles