OASIS Guidance

Logging Historic Environment Commissions projects on the Online Access to the Index of Archaeological Investigations (OASIS)

English Heritage, in partnership with the Archaeology Data Service (ADS) and Archaeological Investigations Project (AIP), has developed the Online Access to the Index of Archaeological Investigations (OASIS). A key aim of OASIS is to provide an online index to information about archaeological investigations and so to facilitate access to and dissemination of 'grey literature' that is being produced in the course of archaeological fieldwork of all kinds.

It is a condition of grant for investigative projects funded through the Historic Environment Commissions Programme that the commissioned organisation must complete the online record of the project using the OASIS form at http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/project/oasis where further guidance on form completion and other associated matters is also given.

Project types that automatically require OASIS entry are:

Desk-based assessments

Field evaluations

Environmental assessments

Recording projects (eg excavations)

Research projects

Estate management surveys

Building recording

An OASIS form must therefore be completed for any of the following Historic Environment Commissions project stages. If a project goes through one or more of these stages then an OASIS record must be completed for each separate stage.

DT – Desk-based assessment

EVAL – Evaluations

SURV – Survey projects

REC – Recording projects

ASS – Assessment projects

ANL – Analysis projects

PUB – Publication projects

ARCV – Archiving projects

Depending upon the nature of the project other stages, especially MAIN, may also require a completed OASIS form. Any doubt about this should be resolved during project planning and confirmed in the Project Design. The Project Officer can advise on this.

Notification to Historic Environment Commissions that the OASIS form has been completed will be a formal Performance Indicator in the project agreement.