Agricultural Land Classification Survey Maps and Reports, 1989-1999

Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) site survey data comprising scanned original paper maps and reports for individual sites surveyed in detail between 1989 and 1999 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The data includes the subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b, uses the current grading methodology, and for some surveys includes unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Use Cases

• Classify historical agricultural land quality based on the detailed grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyze soil characteristics and variability based on the available unedited sample point soils data and pit descriptions.
• Map land use suitability over time based on the geospatial survey maps at scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000.

Strengths

• Data uses the current Agricultural Land Classification grading methodology as described in the official guidelines.
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b for finer detail.
• 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.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; Natural England.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys with original paper maps and reports, later scanned.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Data covers surveys from 1989 to 1999; last update date is unknown.

Geography

England and Wales, specifically the Colburn B (Richmondshire) site.