A route based analysis system comprising: a device including: a display; an oil sample cell; an infrared spectrometer subsystem (62, 64) responsive to the oil sample cell and configured to produce a spectrum for an oil sample introduced to the oil sample cell; and a database with route data, the type of oil used in each asset on a route, oil property analysis methods and reference spectrums and alarm sets for different types of assets along the route; a processing subsystem responsive to the infrared spectrometer subsystem (62,64) and operating computer programs adapted to: display on the display a route from the database including assets with oil to be inspected; determine the type of oil used in each asset by searching the database; locate, for each asset on the route, one or more oil property methods specific to the oil used in the asset stored in the database, locate, for each asset along the route, an alarm set specific to the asset stored in the database; analyze the spectrum of each asset's oil produced by the infrared spectrometer subsystem (62,64) using said one or more methods of the database producing oil properties after introducing an oil sample from the respective asset to the sample cell along the route; compare the oil properties with the alarm set of the database specific to the asset; and display on the display said oil properties and any alarm indications. a display; an oil sample cell; an infrared spectrometer subsystem (62, 64) responsive to the oil sample cell and configured to produce a spectrum for an oil sample introduced to the oil sample cell; and a database with route data, the type of oil used in each asset on a route, oil property analysis methods and reference spectrums and alarm sets for different types of assets along the route; a processing subsystem responsive to the infrared spectrometer subsystem (62,64) and operating computer programs adapted to: display on the display a route from the database including assets with oil to be inspected; determine the type of oil used in each asset by searching the database; locate, for each asset on the route, one or more oil property methods specific to the oil used in the asset stored in the database, locate, for each asset along the route, an alarm set specific to the asset stored in the database; analyze the spectrum of each asset's oil produced by the infrared spectrometer subsystem (62,64) using said one or more methods of the database producing oil properties after introducing an oil sample from the respective asset to the sample cell along the route; compare the oil properties with the alarm set of the database specific to the asset; and display on the display said oil properties and any alarm indications. display on the display a route from the database including assets with oil to be inspected; determine the type of oil used in each asset by searching the database; locate, for each asset on the route, one or more oil property methods specific to the oil used in the asset stored in the database, locate, for each asset along the route, an alarm set specific to the asset stored in the database; analyze the spectrum of each asset's oil produced by the infrared spectrometer subsystem (62,64) using said one or more methods of the database producing oil properties after introducing an oil sample from the respective asset to the sample cell along the route; compare the oil properties with the alarm set of the database specific to the asset; and display on the display said oil properties and any alarm indications.