A land characteristic data bank for Great Britain

Abstract

Land and land use attributes have been quantitatively recorded from
\nexisting map and statistic sources for the 2858 10 x 10 km grid squares
\n(cells) of the Ordnance Survey National Grid which contain land in
\nGreat Britain. 126 attributes are grouped in categories of
\nphysiography; climate; geology; soils ;topography; land use;
\nagricultural land classification ; and conservation status. They provide
\nthe initial major component of a computer-stored land data set appropriate
\nto national and regional scales of ecological assessment and resource
\nevaluation.
\nStandard statistics outputs supply complete or partial data for
\nindividual cells, or total and average values of required attributes
\nfor any group of cells. Map outputs display, list, and summarise data
\nfor cells which meet specifications of individual or combined
\nattributes, for Great Britain as a whole, or for required regions.
\nRecording of the initial data, their computer input and editing, and
\nthe availability of analysis and retrieval programmes, have completed
\nthe first phase of this data bank. Intended developments that are
\noutlined include land classifications based on the data, correlations
\nof land characteristics or classes with biological distributions
\nalready available at this scale, and extension and upgrading of the
\ninitial data set.
\nInformation from the data set can be supplied at agreed charges