ALCL12693: Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification Survey Maps

Detailed Agricultural Land Classification survey data for individual sites in England and Wales surveyed between 1989 and 1999. The data includes scanned original paper maps and reports, grading land quality from Grade 1 to Grade 3, with Grade 3 subdivided into 3a and 3b. It was produced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and is provided by Natural England.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical agricultural land quality based on the detailed grading system described.
• Map land-use suitability for planning based on the scanned survey maps.
• Compare soil subgrades within Grade 3 land based on the subdivision into 3a and 3b.
• Integrate unedited soil point data and pit descriptions for soil science research.

Strengths

• Survey data uses the current grading methodology as described in the official 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales'.
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 into subgrades 3a and 3b for finer detail.
• Original maps scanned at varying scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000.

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

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF)

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999.

Time Range

1989-1999

Geography

England and Wales (specific site: Oulton, Leeds)