Frequently Asked Questions

Access to all or part of many Resource records contained in the Compass database is restricted. The criteria under which individuals may obtain access to restricted Resource information is provided in OAHP's Dissemination of Information: Policy and Procedures (1991, revised 2012). As outlined in that policy, access to restricted Resource by non-archaeologists is on a case-by-case basis and generally includes only select information. User applications will be reviewed in accordance with the policy, and subscription privileges may be limited to partial access.

A Curriculum Vitae (CV) should contain a detailed history of your academic and/or professional credentials. It should include a complete list of your degree(s)/certification(s) earned, detailed work history, publications (if applicable), notable projects you have contributed to and your roles on those projects, and any other experience that is relevant to the data you wish to access on Compass. Essentially, your CV should serve as a summary of your entire career to date.

When applying for access to restricted (i.e., prehistoric archaeological, historic archaeological, or paleontological) data on Compass, you will be asked to select a qualification type from a preset list. A list of required documentation for each qualification type can be found here. In almost all cases, your CV will need to contain a detailed employment history indicating your position/role, employer/institution, dates of employment/project, and job duties/project purpose for each place of employment. Please be as detailed as possible to avoid denial of access to restricted data.

If you are a graduate student with little or no professional experience to date, your CV will need to contain a detailed education section indicating current graduate school and program, supervising faculty member/committee chair, thesis/dissertation topic, degree sought, and anticipated graduation date. Please be as detailed as possible to avoid denial of access to restricted data, and include with your CV a letter of support from your faculty supervisor (please note: your supervisor must be qualified to access restricted Compass data in order for access to be granted).

In addition to the requirements outlined above, certain qualification types entail specific criteria that must be met in order for such qualifications to be met:

• Secretary of the Interior (SOI) Professional Qualification Standards - Archaeology: Your CV should clearly demonstrate that you have:
  1. At least one year of full-time professional experience or equivalent specialized training in archaeological research, administration, or management
  2. At least four (4) months of supervised field and analytic experience in general North American archaeology
  3. Demonstrated ability to carry research to completion

  For more detailed information, please see the full description of standards.

• Permanent status under Federal Job Series 193: Your CV should clearly demonstrate that you meet or exceed the Individual Occupation Requirements outlined by the US Office of Personnel Management for Archaeology Series, 0193.

The AOR is the primary point of contact for the Organization's Compass account. All user requests for the Organization's account must go through this individual. They are responsible for adding/removing users via the Compass platform during the subscription term and updating the list of users prior to entering into a 30-day or annual subscription term. It is not required that the AOR is a Compass user, however, they can apply for access under the Organization's account as an individual user.

Each organization is required to designate an AOR, who is the individual responsible for being the signatory on the Compass Online Database: Organizational Access Agreement. The individual designated as the AOR is determined internally within your organization. It is recommended that this individual have management or administrative capacities in your organization. We also recommend that this individual has authorization to pay for subscription fees. There are a select few scenarios (e.g., Educational Institutions and Certified Local Governments [CLGs]) in which a specific AOR is required. Refer to the “Approved Organization Types” section in the Getting Started with Compass Guide for more information.

The Organizational types approved for access are:

Additional information concerning each of these Organization types can be found in the “Approved Organization Types” section of the Getting Started with Compass Guide .

If you are not affiliated with an Organization, you may qualify for access to Compass as an Independent Researcher. Independent researchers are those individuals who need access to Compass data for scholarly or academic reasons (e.g., professor emeritus or retired contract archaeologist, etc.), but may not be affiliated with an Organization. Individual applying for access must be qualified to receive the data access level requested and submit documentation indicating the purpose of their research/planned use of Compass data.

Two subscription types are offered for the Compass platform:

1. 30-day
2. Annual

For 30-day subscriptions, the following table summarizes the fee structure:

An organization can sign up as many users for 30-day subscriptions as they like, however, there are no discounts for volume with this subscription type - each user incurs a set user fee for the 30-day subscription period. The 30-day subscriptions can be renewed as many times as is needed throughout the year and the 30-day subscription periods do not have to be sequential. If a user with a 30-day subscription elects to move to an annual subscription, no discounts will be applied. If access to the Compass database is needed for any user(s) for more than three (3) consecutive or non-consecutive 30-day subscription periods over a calendar year, an annual subscription is the more cost-effective option.

For Annual subscriptions, the following table summarizes the fee structure:

An organization can sign up as many users for Annual subscriptions as they like - the number of users in each of the subscription tiers will dictate the subscription fee discount applied. The organization must exceed the number of users in a given tier for any additional users to receive the discount in the tier above. For example, if an organization signs up 11 users, users 1-5 would receive the tier 1 rate, users 6-10 would receive the tier 2 rate, and user 11 would receive the tier 3 rate. Any additional users 12 and above would continue to receive the tier 3 rate.

Non-profits, Educational Institutions, Independent Researchers and Certified Local Governments (CLGs) receive Compass access gratis - upon approval of supporting application materials by Compass Administrator. Research performed under these organization types cannot be for profit. If organization/researcher will financially profit from Compass access, they must pay the associated fee for access.

10-day trials of the Compass platform are available to Organizations that have not previously subscribed to Compass and have not taken part in a previous trial of the system. Please note that only one (1) individual in your organization will be given the ability to partake in the consecutive 10-day trial and that individual cannot have been a previous Compass user. Some system features (e.g., data downloads and map screenshots) are unavailable during the 10-day trial period - these features are available to system subscribers only.

Once your Organization's initial application is submitted, it will go to the Compass Administrator for approval and the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) completing the application will receive a link via email to complete payment (via Shopify) once approved.

If you are renewing an existing subscription, the AOR will request the renewal via their account management area on the Compass website, updating the list of users for the Organization. Once that is submitted, the system will automatically link you to the Shopify platform to complete payment.

This automated system processes credit card payments only. If you need to make payment via an alternate method, reach out to the Compass team (hc_compass@state.co.us) prior to submitting your application/renewal.

As part of the application process, links will be sent via from AdobeSign to complete and sign Organizational and Individual Access Agreements . This allows for easily collecting digital signatures on the web-based platform. You do not need to have a paid Adobe account to use this service.

The Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) is responsible for completing the Organizational Access Agreement and each individual user is responsible for completing their own Individual Access Agreement. These agreements must be signed and digitally returned via AdobeSign to be valid for system use. Past application/agreement forms (paper or digital) are not valid for accessing the new system and will not be accepted in any form.

Organizational Access Agreements remain valid as long as the AOR that signed is still with the Organization. Individual Access agreements remain valid for individual users even if they change organizations.

At account creation, an individual user will receive log-in credentials via email, which includes your username to access the Compass platform.

At account creation, an individual user will receive log-in credentials via email, which includes a temporary password that the user will update at their first log-in. If you have forgotten your password at any point after the initial system log-in, you can reset your password through the system at any time, by clicking “Forgot Password?” on the log-in window.

There are four (4) data types available on the Compass platform:

1. Architectural
2. Historic Archaeological
3. Prehistoric Archaeological
4. Paleontological

Access to Architectural data is unrestricted, however, access to the other three (3) data types is subject to an individual's qualifications for access. Please note that some Architectural records may specifically note they are subject to restricted access (e.g., owner-restricted information, etc.) and can only be made available to Compass users qualified for restricted data access.