Acquiring Data During Excavation and Survey

Abstract

In the previous chapter, we described some of the desk-based research methods that can precede fieldwork. We looked at mapping, archives and aerial photographs, and the ways in which these sources can be combined to respond to the desk-based assessment typically stipulated in a project ‘brief’. Here, we take it one step further. Of course, all of the methods associated with desk-based assessment can stand alone as a study in their own right, without any intention of following this up with fieldwork. But in the commercial sector, fieldwork is a typical next stage. Here, we not only look at excavation, but also some non-intrusive methods, such as surveying earthwork sites and buildings, and the various standards that any work in these areas should achieve.