Scotland
Developed in partnership with Archaeology Scotland and with support from Local Authority Archaeologists OASIS (Scotland) is designed to facilitate the smooth flow of information from initial fieldwork through to reporting / publication and archiving of material. OASIS welcomes information from anyone undertaking any type of fieldwork (including offshore) relating to the archaeology and built heritage of Scotland.
Gathering and sharing
OASIS has been redesigned to help data producers (including professional archaeological companies, community groups, academics, architectural historians and independent archaeologists) share news of their discoveries with archaeological curators and researchers. The data capture form provides the opportunity to upload digital copies of both completed project archive reports (grey literature) as well as files defining project extents and trench locations.
OASIS complements and encourages the continued reporting of fieldwork to the wider public through Archaeology Scotland’s annual publication – Discovery and excavation in Scotland (DES).
Information entered through OASIS will also be
- shared with the relevant local authority archaeology Historic Environment Record (HER)
- published on Canmore by Historic Environment Scotland,
- forwarded to the relevant regional Scottish Archaeological Research Framework (ScARF) panels.
- Published through the ADS Library where copies of digital reports can be downloaded.
As a partnership between the private and public sectors, OASIS ensures efficient, effective and economic collection, management and sharing of information for the benefit of anyone interested in the archaeology of Scotland.
Each year Archaeology Scotland publishes Discovery and Excavation in Scotland (DES) providing an accessible, comprehensive, up-to-date and informative guide to archaeological work being undertaken across Scotland. Until now, contributions have been submitted via a dedicated online form, or via OASIS and direct to the editor. The new OASIS form provides a single place to submit fieldwork reports to DES and, on project completion, to upload completed project reports and GIS boundary data for the relevant local and national curators. Reports will also be made freely available through the ADS library.
More information about contributing to Discovery and Excavation
The Scottish Archaeological Research Framework (ScARF) provides an overview of our current understanding of the historic environment across Scotland, and through the regional panels, is highlighting key regional differences and identifying future research priorities for each geographical area. Every year fieldwork reveals new information about Scotland's past, contributing knowledge to our understanding of key research questions. In OASIS users can now select which research questions their projects help to answer. The project information will be forwarded to the relevant research framework panel once the project has been published in DES.
OASIS now incorporates controlled vocabularies to encourage consistent indexing of information within the form and consistency across HER databases and Canmore. It also incorporates terms used in the regional ScARF frameworks.
On entering a grid reference, or uploading a boundary file, the location can now be checked against large scale maps or orthoimagery provided under the One Scotland Mapping Agreement (OSMA) and related Aerial Photography for Great Britain agreement and the administrative area details for each project can then be auto-completed.
Each record on OASIS will remain ‘live’ making it possible to update an existing record with updated information (such as RC14 dates) or to upload additional reports (such those written by specialists during post excavation).
The enhanced project archive page will allow contributors to enter information relating to the size of the archive being generated by a project. This new feature will allow museum creators to be able to assess the volume of material they may receive, whilst the project is still in progress.
OASIS complements and encourages the continued reporting of fieldwork to the wider public through Archaeology Scotland's annual publication Discovery and excavation in Scotland. OASIS is a partnership between the private and public sectors. It ensures efficient, effective and economic collection, management and dissemination of information for the benefit of the entire archaeological, built heritage and wider community of Scotland and beyond. OASIS has been adopted nationally by Scottish Local Authority archaeologists as part of the requirements for reporting developer funded archaeology in Scotland.
If you would like further information about the project please see the FAQs. For technical advice, please contact the ADS Technical Team.