Agricultural Land Classification detailed Post1988 survey ALCL16593

Post-1988 Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) site survey data provides detailed land grading for England and Wales. The collection includes scanned original paper maps and survey reports for individual sites, with mapping scales ranging from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000. Surveys were conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and use the grading methodology described in the official 'Agricultural Land Classification of England and Wales' guidelines.

Use Cases

• Classifying agricultural land capability based on the official ALC grading methodology.
• Analyzing historical land quality for planning and environmental impact assessments using detailed survey reports.
• Integrating soil point data and pit descriptions for localized soil science studies.
• Mapping land use changes over time by comparing historical ALC grades with contemporary data.

Strengths

• Surveys use the current official Agricultural Land Classification methodology.
• Includes subdivision of Grade 3 land into detailed subgrades 3a and 3b.
• Contains unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions for some surveys.
• Original maps were created at detailed scales, typically 1:10,000.

Limitations

• Row count and column-level documentation are absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Data may reflect temporal bias inherent to the 1989-1999 survey period.

Provenance

Source

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (UK), Natural England, Ordnance Survey.

Collection Method

Detailed site surveys conducted by government agencies, with results captured in paper maps and reports later scanned.

Time Range

1989 to 1999

Freshness

null

Geography

England and Wales (individual survey sites)