Collaborative Research: SPARC: Facilitating Research, Experimentation, and Education in Spatial Archaeometry

The Spatial Archaeometry Research Collaborations (SPARC) program promotes the use of spatial analysis, 3D modeling, as well as satellite, aerial, and terrestrial remote sensing in archaeological research projects. The things archaeologists study—from artifacts to sites to landscapes—almost always have a spatial component and spatial analysis is therefore central to contemporary archaeological investigations.

Today, the increasing availability and sophistication of geospatial technologies is not merely generating new data but is facilitating entirely novel means of engaging with the archaeological record and exploring the human past. However, the high costs of instrumentation and software, combined with the expertise they require, create hurdles for many archaeologists who aim to deploy geospatial technologies in research projects.

SPARC 1) facilitates high-impact spatial archaeometric research, 2) advances emerging methodologies towards greater community use, 3) promotes this new knowledge across the discipline, and 4) promotes inclusion of junior and underrepresented scholars and institutions in leadership roles and in its training schema. Through its innovative approach to supporting collaborative archaeological research, the SPARC program makes costly geospatial technologies and specialized domain expertise available to researchers from a wide range of backgrounds, including early career scholars and those at minority serving institutions, enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within archaeological research.

The program also provides education and training opportunities for students and professionals seeking to use geospatial techniques in their own research, broadening the impact of the program far beyond individual supported projects.

The SPARC program supports archaeological researchers seeking to integrate geospatial technologies and methods into their investigations by facilitating collaborations with research faculty and staff and the technological infrastructure from the University of Arkansas' Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST), Dartmouth College’s Spatial Archaeometry Lab (SPARCL), and the University of Arkansas’ MicroCT Imaging Consortium for Research and Outreach (MICRO). Researchers apply to the program through a competitive, peer-reviewed process, and successful proposals receive support from geospatial technologies experts in both field and lab settings, access to specialized equipment and software, and intensive training opportunities.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.