Identification

Title

National Landscape Character Areas (NLCA)

Alternative title(s)

The character map; rLCA; Map cymeriad tirwedd rhanbarthol ar gyfer Cymru, National landscape character map.

Regional landscape character map for Wales

National Landscape Character Area

Landscape character areas.LYR

Abstract

This dataset comprises of boundaries for the 48 regional landscape character areas for Wales. The purpose of this data capture was to geographically distinguish different regions in Wales in terms of landscape identity and what characteristics and qualities make one region different and distinct from another. These distinctions and policy drivers for this project are described, together with an illustrated narrative, and published on Natural Resources Wales (NRW's) website. This dataset covers 100% of terrestrial Wales including inter-tidal areas. Boundary data derived from source data 2007-2008 with the final version being amended October 2008.

Resource type

dataset

Resource locator

http://lle.gov.wales/catalogue/item/NationalLandscapeCharacterAreas/?lang=en

name: Download data

http://lle.gov.wales/services/wms/nrw?

name: Web Mapping services

Unique resource identifier

code

109859

codeSpace

https://naturalresources.wales

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

authority code

OGP

code identifying the spatial reference system

urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::BNG

Additional information source

CCW Policy Research Report 07/19 explains the method in more detail. The perception related work ('Heuristic Mapping') is described in CCW Policy Research report 08/11. This is the first published dataset. Land Use Consultants (LUC) produced a first GIS version dated August 2007, but CCW did not publish this, and it is now superseded by the published version here.

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

boundaries

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Bio-geographical regions

Land cover

originating controlled vocabulary

title

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2020-01-17

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

-5.77774100

East bounding longitude

-2.60886500

North bounding latitude

53.51306700

South bounding latitude

51.24082900

Extent

Extent group

authority code

title

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2020-01-17

code identifying the extent

Wales (WLS)

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

2007-04-01

End position

2019-11-13

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2019-11-13

Frequency of update

notPlanned

Quality and validity

Lineage

Boundaries were created from an analysis of some 40+ existing environmental datasets plus a selection of site visits. Of note, this work includes reference to both the physical environment and human perceptions of it. Landscape is about the meeting of people and place, not just about place, as such, the boundaries were not derived mechanically from datasets but were also derived using some professional judgement, following site visits and preliminary work on mapping people's perceptions of how the Welsh landscape divides into 'broydd' (areas with a distinct sense of place that people commonly relate to). Mapping scale was 1:250,000 - so this dataset has very generalised boundaries. However, as the object of the exercise was to identify broad regions, concern over whether the boundary runs this side or that side of a road or field are not relevant within the scale of the regions being identified. For example 'Vale of Clwyd', 'Gower', Montgomeryshire Hills and Vales'. Instead, boundaries should be assumed to approximate broad zones of transition from one landscape area to another. Some landscapes presented strong physical features along which to run boundary lines, whereas other landscapes were found to be complex mosaics that gradually changed, or had subtle changes with few obvious single physical lines to follow. The resources of the project did not allow for detailed resolution of such boundaries and short cuts, typically in the form of following a generalised contour line, have often been used to complete the exercise. Islands are not included in the GIS dataset available to download, however they are included as contextual features within National Landscape Character Area (NLCA) description profiles and their map images. Islands are encompassed within the equivalent characterisation of seascapes, being the National Marine Character Areas (NMCA), also available to download on Lle”.

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

© CNC/NRW All rights Reserved. Contains Ordnance Survey Data. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100019741. Crown Copyright and Database Right Data may be re-used under the terms of the Open Government Licence providing it is done so, acknowledging both the source and copyright of the owners. It is the recipient's responsibility to ensure the data is fit for the intended purpose.

Constraint set

Limitations on public access

There are no access restrictions on this data. NRW may release, publish or disseminate it freely.

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

organisation name

Natural Resources Wales (NRW)

telephone number

0300 065 3000

email address

enquiries@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

responsible party role

owner

Responsible party

organisation name

Land Use Consultants

telephone number

020 7383 5784

email address

luc@landuse.co.uk

responsible party role

originator

Responsible party

organisation name

Countryside Council for Wales (CCW)

telephone number

0300 065 3000

email address

enquiries@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

responsible party role

originator

Responsible party

organisation name

Natural Resources Wales (NRW)

telephone number

0300 065 3000

email address

enquiries@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

responsible party role

custodian

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact

organisation name

Natural Resources Wales (NRW)

telephone number

0300 065 3000

email address

enquiries@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata date

2020-01-09

Metadata language