Agricultural Land Classification Survey: Oakley Site with Soil Data

England and Wales agricultural land classification data from detailed site surveys conducted between 1989 and 1999. The dataset includes scanned original paper maps, survey reports, and for some sites, unedited sample point soils data and soil pit descriptions. It was produced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, now under Natural England copyright.

Use Cases

• Classify agricultural land capability based on the grading methodology described in the survey reports.
• Analyze soil characteristics and variability using the unedited sample point soils data and pit descriptions.
• Map land quality at varying scales (from 1:5,000 to 1:50,000) for regional planning.
• Study the subdivision of Grade 3 agricultural land into subgrades 3a and 3b.

Strengths

• Includes detailed site surveys conducted over a defined 10-year period (1989-1999).
• Provides original scanned maps and reports, preserving methodological transparency.
• Contains supplementary soil point data and pit descriptions for some surveys.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the specific survey sites and period.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

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

Time Range

1989-1999

Freshness

null

Geography

England and Wales (specific site: Oakley, Bulls Bushes Farm)