Step 1: Contact SPARC

If you are considering a project proposal to SPARC, and you have not already done so, you must contact the SPARC staff via e-mail at sparc@cast.uark.edu staff to set up a (video) conference call or phone call to discuss your project. They will be able to assist you in determining whether or not the Center can be of support or collaborate on your project– and what types of collaboration or support are possible. In addition, you should also explore our previously funded projects and their research outcomes, consider participating in a future SPARC webinar, accessing the various resources the Center has on equipment and workflows at The GMV, and checking SPARC's FAQ.

You need to contact us to set up this preliminary chat before applying.

Step 2: Determine your Application Type

There are a number of different types of awards and collaborations that are possible.

1. Fieldwork Awards. In this type of effort SPARC staff and/or equipment is made available to the project to record data in the field. Additional information on this type of application is available HERE. (Application Questions)
2. Data & Analytics Awards. In this type of effort SPARC staff and/or facilities and/or software are made available to the project to draw out details and subtleties in the dataset or to integrate them with other data. Additional information on this type of application is available HERE. (Application Questions)
3. Publication Awards. Many archives are poorly prepared to receive large, complex digital datasets. SPARC will endeavor to work with project directors and the staff of their archive of choice to find a solution, or will help projects to identify appropriate archives for their data. Additional information on this type of application is available HERE. (Application Questions)
4. SPARC Residency. To support the development of geospatial expertise within the archaeological research community, SPARC supports a visiting researcher residency program. Through this program, individual researchers can undertake a period of intensive study or project development at the Center in collaboration with resident staff. Additional information on this type of application is available HERE.
5. Collaborative proposals to external agencies. In addition to providing support awards directly to projects, SPARC works collaboratively with projects to develop proposals for joint submission to external funding agencies. Additional information on this type of application is available HERE.

Step 3: Submit your Application

You can start your application process by registering for an account. You must register for an account to gain access to the application forms. You can apply in one or more of the following categories:

1. Fieldwork support. Start a Fieldwork Award application.
2. Data & Analytics. Start a Data & Analytics Award application.
3. Archival preparation and publication. Start a Publication Award application.
4. SPARC residency. Start a Residency application.
5. Collaborative proposal to external agencies. Contact SPARC to develop a collaborative proposal.

Calendars explaining the timeline for each type of application are available on the pages under the APPLY tab.

Step 4: Application Review

Applications for Fieldwork Awards, Data & Analytics Awards, and Publication Awards are competitively funded based on a review and ranking process by the Center’s Advisory Committee and the Directors of the SPARC Program. Applications for residency and collaborative proposal development are evaluated by the SPARC Directors.

Step 5: Notification

After review applicants will be informed about the status of their application. Projects may be accepted directly, put on a wait list of projects which may be partially supported should the means become available, or declined. Applicants may request feedback on their applications by emailing sparc@cast.uark.edu. Information on notification timelines is available for each type of application, under the APPLY tab.

Teaching Resource: Reuse of archived digital 3D models for university students 11/02/20

The SPARC Program supports good practice in archiving of our projects in Zenodo (see "Consult Standards and Guidance" under the "LEARN" tab and "Research Outcomes" under the "ABOUT" tab). As the archiving of digital data continues to increase, questions surrounding the reuse of archaeological data has begun to emerge (see Kansa and Kansa 2018 here: https://doi.org/10.1017/aap.2018.7). With the Coronavirus disease pandemic resulting in many university courses being taught online, and fieldworks plans delayed, teaching resources for the use of archived data have become even more important. The SPARC team has developed a lesson plan that explores a collection of 3D models of ceramics from the 2014 "Boston Fingerprints" SPARC collaboration (Bagley, Poulsen, and Opitz). Over a series of five exercises, students will learn what 3D models are, how to use metadata to assess a 3D dataset's reusability for research, how to use to Meshlab and CloudCompare to visualize and analyze 3D data in different and informative ways. The teaching resource can be found at: https://github.com/castuofa/sparc_teaching

Created by: Carla Klehm

What happens after a SPARC Project is completed? Research Outcomes, Finals Reports, and Archiving 09/02/20

SPARC follows the best practices in digital archaeology by making our results publicly accessible to the archaeological community and beyond. The Research Outcomes page of our website contains a list of the various publications, presentations, websites, and other outcomes from our previously funded SPARC Projects. Every SPARC project is required to submit a Final Report; these are also accessible on the Research Outcomes page and contain good information for new applicants on what a potential SPARC collaboration might entail. Lastly, the data from completed SPARC projects is eventually accessible in a stable, citable manner through publication on Zenodo, an open-source data repository hosted by CERN (see “Archived Material” on the Research Outcomes page). The archiving process is ongoing, so stay tuned for more!

Created by: Carla Klehm

Publication Highlight: Least-cost path and viewshed analyses to model territorial boundaries 09/02/20

SPARC PI Nicholas Carter and colleagues published their article, “Country roads: Travel, visibility, and Late Classic settlement in the southern Mayan Mountains,” in the Journal of Field Archaeology (2019). Carter’s article explores the Late Classic (AD 600-830) Maya political landscape, where economic ambitions and physical landscape potential influenced settlement choice. Least-cost path and viewshed analyses helped model territorial boundaries, which therefore took into consideration control over travel corridors and settlement (inter)visibility. The model’s results indicate that access to travel routes were important, although not as crucial as in other long-distance exchange networks (e.g. the Silk Road). Further, Mayan capitals maintain visual control of travel routes and the greater Mayan countryside through clusters of sites with shared viewsheds. In all, the article provides a geospatial argument for supporting traditional Classic Mayan kingship best represents the Late Classic period. More information can be found at: https://doi.org/10.1080/00934690.2019.1571373

Created by: Carla Klehm