  We describe the motivation, field locations and stellar selection for the
ARGOS spectroscopic survey of 28,000 stars in the bulge and inner disk of the
Milky Way galaxy across latitudes of b = -5 deg to -10 deg. The primary goal of
this survey is to constrain the formation processes of the bulge and establish
whether it is predominantly a merger or instability remnant. From the spectra
(R = 11,000), we have measured radial velocities and determined stellar
parameters, including metallicities and [alpha/Fe] ratios. Distances were
estimated from the derived stellar parameters and about 14,000 stars are red
giants within 3.5 kpc of the Galactic centre. In this paper, we present the
observations and analysis methods. Subsequent papers (III and IV) will discuss
the stellar metallicity distribution and kinematics of the Galactic bulge and
inner disk, and the implications for the formation of the bulge.
