English Heritage commissioned The Archaeological Investigations Project to undertake a detailed study of the nature and extent of archaeological fieldwork carried out in England annually. The project has so far completed the collection of data from throughout England during 1990-2004 and the resulting Gazetteers were published in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008- the latter are available online. We have just completed data collection for the year 2006 and the 2007 element collection will soon begin.

The purpose of the project is to chronicle archaeological investigative work in both the planning and development control sector, and work undertaken purely within a research context. This incorporates pre-planning determination desk-based assessments; field evaluations; environmental assessments for which archaeological work was undertaken; and post-planning determination and non-planning related investigations such as open area excavations, watching briefs, recorded observations, the archaeological recording of standing buildings, test-pit programmes, and systematic surface collection programmes. We also include archaeological investigations that form part of research programmes.

Upon completion, a catalogue of completed archaeological investigations is published online (and previously as a supplement the the British and Irish Archaeological Bibliography). The catalogue comprises short abstracts summarizing the work carried out, information about the location of the site and investigating authority/body and full bibliographic references for each and every archaeological investigation completed during the period covered by the project. Similar projects are undertaken in Scotland and Wales.  The gazetteers from these projects are published by the Council for Scottish Archaeology and the Council for British Archaeology Wales (Cyngor Archaeoleg Brydeinig Cymru). A similar project also exists in Ireland, and can be accessed at excavations.ie. A second product is the analytical report detailing the circumstances in which archaeological work takes place in England. The aim of this report is to quantify what kind of archaeological fieldwork is being undertaken, where this work is being undertaken and by whom, to assist in the strategic management of England's archaeological resource. This is also available online and provides the archaeological profession with a readily accessible and comprehensive account of fieldwork undertaken in England between 1990 and 1999. Click here to access the online version of the analytical report.

We also update the National Monuments Record Excavation Index, based in the NMR offices in Swindon. The online catalogue is maintained by the Archaeological Data Service based at the University of York.