Agricultural Land Classification Survey Maps and Reports for England and Wales, 1989-1999

Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) site survey data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps and survey reports for individual sites surveyed in detail between 1989 and 1999, using the grading methodology from the 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' guidelines. Some surveys also contain unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions.

Use Cases

• Classifying land capability for agriculture based on the detailed ALC grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyzing historical land quality trends based on survey data collected between 1989 and 1999.
• Mapping soil characteristics and subgrades (e.g., 3a and 3b) using the scanned original paper maps.
• Integrating point-level soil data and pit descriptions for detailed site analysis where available.

Strengths

• Data collection follows the established 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' methodology.
• Includes the subdivision of Grade 3 land into subgrades 3a and 3b for finer granularity.
• Contains original scanned maps and reports, preserving the detail of the primary survey work.

Limitations

• Row count and file formats are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Maps were created at varying scales from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000, which may affect spatial consistency.

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (survey work); Natural England (copyright holder).

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999, with results recorded on paper maps and in reports.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Geography

Individual sites in England and Wales, specifically the 'Ouzewell Green' survey area within Leeds.