Step 1: Contact SPARC

If you are considering a project proposal to SPARC, and you have not already done so, you are encouraged to 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 consider participating in a SPARC webinar, accessing the various resources the Center has on equipment and workflows at The GMV, or check SPARC’s FAQ. You can 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.

Publication highlight: Hill et al. 2019, increasing GNSS use across the archaeological community 02/25/20

Members of the SPARC staff have been working to make spatial archaeometric methods more approachable for a broad set of archaeologists. As 3D documentation of objects and features—always an essential component of fieldwork—has improved greatly in the past several decades, precise survey data is available and applicable to a much wider range of archaeological projects. A new generation of high-precision, survey-grade global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) are allowing for better recording and analysis of artifact and feature proveniences, site and survey grid layout, and the production of topographic maps, among many uses. In their article, “A new era in spatial recording: Low-cost GNSS,” published in the journal Advances in Archaeological Practice, SPARC staff Austin (Chad) Hill, W. Fred Limp, Jesse Casana, Elise Laugier, and Malcolm Williamson detail the utility of one low-cost real-time kinematic (RTK) GPS/GNSS system, the Emlid Reach RS, whose cost (less than $1000) should be achievable for many archaeological projects. The article described the use, accuracy, and limitations of the Emlid Reach RS for archaeological fieldwork, and provides a link to workflow guides (also developed by Hill). More information can be found at: https://doi.org/10.1017/aap.2018.50.

Created by: Carla Klehm

Publication highlight: Erb-Satullo et al. 2019, geophysics and UAV-based photogrammetry 02/25/20

SPARC Project PI Nathaniel Erb-Satullo and colleagues published their article, “Investigating the spatial organisation of Bronze and Iron Age fortress complexes in the South Caucasus,” in the journal Antiquity, which seeks to understand socio-political processes in the South Caucasus (modern-day Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan), c. 1500-500 BC. During this period, known as the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age, populations aggregated in fortified settlements across the landscape: a marked difference from the preceding Middle Bronze Age with mobile lifestyles and extensive, elaborate kurgan burials. What drew peoples to these places is a complex question, with implications for the comparative study of population aggregation across Eurasia. Erb-Satullo and colleagues were able to detect a "halo" of settlement and other activities beyond the main fortified hill, through a combination of magnetometry, UAV-based photogrammetry, surface mapping, and systematic surface collection, to better understand how and why these fortress-settlements emerged. More information can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2018.191

Created by: Carla Klehm

New Research Outcomes page 02/25/20

Fall 2019 marked the end of the 6th year of the SPARC Program. As SPARC has matured these last several years, our research outcomes have expanded tremendously, due in part to the long-term collaborative partnerships that the Program encourages. We are celebrating this occasion with the launch of a new webpage within the SPARC website (under our "About" tab) showcasing the publications, presentations, grants, and other web-based, non-traditional outputs that results from our projects, in order to increase their visibility to the archaeological community.

Created by: Carla Klehm