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

空间考古学研究合作（Spatial Archaeometry Research Collaborations，缩写为SPARC）计划促进空间分析，3D建模以及卫星，航空和陆地遥感在考古研究项目中的使用。考古学家研究的东西从人工制品到遗址再到墓葬几乎都有空间的成分，因此空间分析是当代考古学研究的核心。今天，地理空间技术的日益可用性和复杂性不仅产生了新的数据，而且还促进了利用考古记录和探索人类历史的全新手段。然而，仪器和软件的高成本，加上它们所需的专业知识，为许多旨在在研究项目中部署地理空间技术的考古学家创造了障碍。1）促进高影响力的空间考古研究，2）推进新兴方法，以更大的社区使用，3）促进跨学科的新知识，以及4）促进初级和代表性不足的学者和机构在领导角色和培训计划中的包容性。通过其支持协作考古研究的创新方法，该项目为来自广泛背景的研究人员提供了昂贵的地理空间技术和专业领域的专业知识，包括早期职业学者和少数民族服务机构的研究人员，增强了考古研究的多样性，公平性和包容性。该计划还为寻求在自己的研究中使用地理空间技术的学生和专业人士提供教育和培训机会，该计划的影响远远超出了单个项目的支持。该计划通过促进与研究人员和技术基础设施的合作，支持考古研究人员寻求将地理空间技术和方法融入他们的调查。阿肯色州的先进空间技术中心（CAST）、达特茅斯学院的空间考古实验室（SPARCL）和阿肯色州大学的MicroCT成像研究和推广联盟（MICRO）。研究人员通过竞争性、同行评审的流程申请该计划，成功的提案将获得现场和实验室环境中地理空间技术专家的支持，获得专业设备和软件以及强化培训机会。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.