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Soil resistivity data

Jam
Hi all


A couple of times recently (example) there’s been mention of the BGS soil electrical resistivity model. I looked it up (here) and indeed it does look like a helpful resource as a first-pass check prior to - and a sense check for - a proper survey. But the pricing model direct from BGS isn’t sensible for a single site due to handling fees and they’re not replying to emails anyway... has anyone got experience of actually using the data or an alternative and where was it obtained from? 

Sparkingchip‍ mentioned that he’d seen a wall poster available which would be ideal. But I can’t see where he’d get it from?
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    I was just wondering how much help such maps would be? - I guess they're based on something like 1km squares which are in turn based on possibly even wider spaced samples of rock types and so on - whereas actual conditions can vary enormously from metre to metre depending on what's happened to that particular patch of soil over the last few thousand years. From my own garage experience, I get consistently good results from a single rod at the back of the garage (into basically undisturbed garden soil) but a few metres away at the front of the garage the ground is completely different - having been an unadopted road for the past century, built up by perhaps a metre or more before that to level it, and before that being covered by several old privies and other outbuildings (according to old maps I've seen). Even in open countryside depth & makeup of soil can vary tremendously if even a small stream had happened to meander that way in the distant past.


    For sure a survey might give you early warning if you were considering an area of widespread poor dry shallow soils, but I can't see it comparing with a decent site survey.


       - Andy.
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    I was just wondering how much help such maps would be? - I guess they're based on something like 1km squares which are in turn based on possibly even wider spaced samples of rock types and so on - whereas actual conditions can vary enormously from metre to metre depending on what's happened to that particular patch of soil over the last few thousand years. From my own garage experience, I get consistently good results from a single rod at the back of the garage (into basically undisturbed garden soil) but a few metres away at the front of the garage the ground is completely different - having been an unadopted road for the past century, built up by perhaps a metre or more before that to level it, and before that being covered by several old privies and other outbuildings (according to old maps I've seen). Even in open countryside depth & makeup of soil can vary tremendously if even a small stream had happened to meander that way in the distant past.


    For sure a survey might give you early warning if you were considering an area of widespread poor dry shallow soils, but I can't see it comparing with a decent site survey.


       - Andy.
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