Land Classification of Shetland Isles: 1974 Environmental Strata at 1km Resolution

The Land Classification of the Shetland Isles is a web map service from the Environmental Information Data Centre. It provides a 1974 ecological stratification of the Shetland Isles into sixteen environmental strata at a 1-kilometer resolution, originally developed by the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology. The service contains two layers showing the individual strata and four grouped overviews.

Use Cases

• Ecological sampling stratification based on the sixteen defined environmental strata.
• Analysis of landscape patterns based on grouped strata sharing characteristics like altitude and distance from sea.
• Historical environmental mapping based on the 1974 classification framework.

Strengths

• Provides a structured framework of sixteen environmental strata at a 1-kilometer resolution.
• Includes two distinct map layers for detailed strata and grouped overviews.
• Originates from a known research institution, the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data is from 1974; its freshness for contemporary analysis should be verified.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre, based on work by the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology.

Collection Method

Originally developed as a framework for ecological sampling.

Time Range

1974

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-02 19:20:26.569490; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Shetland Isles, United Kingdom