Research Projects
Social Change
and the Environment in Nordic Prehistory (SCENOP)
SCENOP, a ESF Histories from the North BOREAS Project,
will see to identify cross-cultural regularities and
differences in human responses to rapid environmental
change in prehistory. By collecting and analyzing
archaeological and paleo-environmental data from two
widely separated but environmentally rcomparable
circumpolar regions, the Yli-Ii area of Northern Finland
and the Wemindji area of James Bay in Quebec, the
project will provide information about how prehistoric
groups created sustainable adaptive systems in response
to the environmental challenges while developing
historically unique sets of life-ways. The project will
also shed light on the ways in which prehistoric
populations consciously and unconsciously transformed
and impacted their environments.
The Social Systems GIS lab will develop GIS
(geographical information systems) models of paleo-environmental
and archaeological data within the larger objectives of
SCENOP. These two fully modeled and fully dated GIS
layers will allow comparison of diachronic changes in
these two regions, across three environmental-temporal
periods. Human technology, exploitation of resources,
and land use changed as their environment changed from
salt water to tidal marsh to freshwater ecosystems.
Spatial analysis of the changes in environment and
society can help explain how these changes occurred and
why human populations developed different adaptive
strategies in Yli-Ii and Wemindji. Included in the
integrated GIS databases are both existing and new paleo-environmental
and archaeological data for each of the study areas, and
digital elevation models (DEMs) for both regions. These
databases will allow mapping and agent-based analysis of
environmental and archaeological data and will be
available on the Web.
Neolithic
Archaeological Settlements in the Berettyo-Koros (NASBeK)
Project.
The initial phases of NASBek form the basis for
Roderick
Salisbury's dissertation project. The goal is to
clarify the differences and similarities in site
structure among small settlements during the Late
Neolithic and Early Copper Age in eastern Hungary, and
to compare this to the structure of Late Neolithic
tells. To do this, soil cores will be collected from six
sites from the two periods. Analysis of vertical
stratigraphy from these sites, along with identification
of ditches and other features, delineate depth of
habitation and distribution of features within the
sites. Limited excavation at a few sites open larger
areas (1m x 1m) to distinguish the natural and cultural
layers within the soil profile. The other major aspect
of this project will be to collect small samples of soil
at 10 meter intervals on a grid from natural and
cultural layers within each site for soil chemistry
analysis. For the immediate project, small sub-samples
of this soil will be tested for pH and relative level of
phosphate, an element that remains fixed in the soil and
is not removed through day-today processes of plowing or
erosion. This chemical is deposited in the soil though
human and animal remains and/or waste, and high levels
strongly indicate human activity. Patterns of high and
low of phosphate may vary between Late Neolithic and
Early Copper Age settlements. In addition, presence and
absence of Phosphate is a good indicator of relative
horizontal settlement limits. Finally, a sub-set of
samples will be subject to ICP analysis to determine the
presence of a suite of other elements associated with
human activity.
Fieldwork
and Social Systems GIS Laboratory Project at Verberie,
France : 2002 saw the beginning of a long-term
collaborative project with French archaeologist
Francoise Audouze using data from the site of Verberie,
France. Verberie is a late Upper Paleolithic Magdalenian
site within the Paris Basin. It is one of many seasonal
reindeer hunting camps from the same time period in this
area. A paper discussing the identification of lithic
refits from this site was presented at the SAA 2004
Annual Meetings in Montreal.
What sets Verberie apart from most other Upper
Paleolithi hunting camps is the excellent preservation
of archaeological materials and their detailed spatial
configuration. Over 25 years of excavation, 10's of
thousands of artifacts from the site, mostly lithics and
bone, have been precisely plotted and mapped to a 1cm
resolution. We will be using this data to perform a
spatial analysis of the site. Using a variety of
statistical methods such as cluster analysis and
correlation analysis, to define activity areas on the
living surfaces of the site, we will investigate the
origins of human use of space and the concept of
"settlement" itself.
Geography
of Canadian Literacy and Disability: Geography of
Canadian Literacy and Disability: In the autumn of 2001
the University at Buffalo Social Systems GIS lab was
granted funding from the Canadian Literacy Secretariat
to work in conjunction with colleagues at York
University and at the Canadian Abilities Foundation. The
purpose of this funding is to create an atlas for the
entirety of Canada that depicts detailed statistical
information about the relationship between disability
and literacy, as well as their related services and
supports. This project makes use of several Canadian
national surveys including the Health and Activity
Limitation Survey, the International Adult Literacy
Survey, the National Population Health Survey, and the
Census. Additional data sources include the Canadian
Abilities Foundation's Directory of Disability
Organizations in Canada and the National Adult Literary
Database hypertext listing of literacy organizations. In
our GIS laboratory, all this data is being brought
together and analyzed. Various forms of analysis and
data modeling techniques are being used to better
understand the relationships between individuals with
disabilities, those with literacy issues, and the social
and governmental organizations seeking to assist all
these individuals. Of particular interest is how these
organizations might be better located so as to better
serve these individuals. At the end of the project all
the information produced will be combined into a three
hundred plus page atlas and presented to the Canadian
government, where it will have direct implications for
social policy development as well as be useful in
identifying specific areas where more services and
supports are needed.
Combining the expertise of researchers from the
fields of disability policy analysis and GIS, this
project created an atlas of maps that show the
relationship between literacy and disability. This
spatial look at the issues provides a tool for policy
and service development. It reveals information about
what promotes or hinders literacy, opportunities for
communication, and participation in society. The
objective of this work was to investigate the spatial
characteristics of literacy and disability in Canada and
the spatial characteristics of their relationship
CLuster In the Field (CLIF): CLIF is the Anthropology GIS
Laboratory's mobile supercomputing project. During 2002
work was begun on the design and construction of a
prototype of a mobile solar powered supercomputer for
field research. With this system we are hoping to narrow
the divide between the power of computer systems
available on-campus and those that are available when
someone is away from campus doing field work. Our goal
is to reach a stage where, rather than collecting all
the data in the field and then returning to the US to
analyze the data through models and simulations, we
could actually do full analysis of the data in the
field. This could eliminate the unfortunate occurrence
of suddenly realizing during the winter that you did not
collect a crucial piece of data, and then needing to
return to the field the next year to collect it.
Instead, the output from the analysis would provide
real-time feedback as the collection is taking place,
and would allow a researcher much more flexibility in
their field research designs. So if anyone happens to
pass by the chilled water plant at UB and sees the gleam
of sunlight reflecting off solar panels, you will now
know what lies beneath.
Recent Grants Submitted
2003 (PI) Proposal No: 0315303 Doctoral
Dissertation Research: The Ritual Use of Checham Ha
Cave, Belize: A Study of Changes in Ritual Practice Over
Time Using GIS $12000
2002 (PI) Proposal No: 0314411 The Origins of
Domesticity in the Late Upper Paleolithic: The Use of
GIS Spatial Analysis at the French Magdalenian Site of
Verberie $49,000.
2002 (PI) The Spatial Analysis of Stigma for
People with Disabilities: A Multi-national Perspective
on Health and Services with co-pi's. NIH RFA TW-03-001
Letter of Intent for Proposal $225,000.
*2002 (PI) Analyzing the Demographic Causes and
Consequences of the The Spatial Distribution of
Populations with Disabilities Using Geographic
Information Systems with co-pi's. NIH RFA HD-020- 021
Letter of Intent for Proposal $275.000.
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Awards
Grants Received
Interdisciplinary Research and Creative Activities
Fund (IRCAF) Planning Grant - Awarded to the Social
Systems GIS Laboratory for 2003.
The IRCAF planning grant is awarded by the University
at Buffalo Vice President for Research. It is intended
to support and facilitate the formation of
collaborations and the exploration of innovative ideas
that will open new directions in research and enhance
the intellectual environment of the University at
Buffalo.
Canadian-American Studies Research Grant -
Awarded to Wendy Miller and Susan Maguire in Spring
2003, and to Wendy Miller in Fall 2002.
The Canadian-America Studies Committee at UB invites
proposals for projects and activities that are designed
to encourage and promote increased awareness and
understanding at UB of Canada and of relations between
Canada and the United States. These grants are possible
because of funding provided by the Canadian Studies Gran
Program of the Canadia Embassy in Washington, DC, and by
the College of Arts and Sciences, University at Buffalo.
2002 Subcontract to Abilities Foundation
Development of Grassroots Disability GIS for Web Based
Access GIS with primary contract to Human Resources
Development Canada Office of Disabilities.
2002(PI) A Planning Grant for an International
Comparison of Disability and Human Rights with Ms. Nina
Cascio, Dr. Don Pollock, Dr. Munroe Eagles, Dr. Jeffrey
Higginbotham, Dr. Rosemary Lubinski, Dr. David Mark,
Mr.Scott Branting, and MS.Wendy Miller.
2003-2001 Geography of Canadian Literacy and
Disability with Ray Cohen Canadian Abilities
Foundationand Marcia Rioux York University.
*2003-1998 Co-Pi IGERT Grant $2,600,000
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