These docs are for v1.0. Click to read the latest docs for v6.0.

Changelog

July 9, 2025

  • New

  • The homepage now includes metrics for dataset downloads, contributors, citations, and protocol views
  • The About tab now also includes protocol views under metrics
  • Improved

  • The homepage now includes metrics for dataset downloads, contributors, citations, and protocol views
  • The About tab now also includes protocol views under metrics

May 27, 2025

  • New

  • Citation information is now displayed on the dataset details page
  • Protocol metrics are now surfaced on individual dataset details pages
  • An availability statement is now shown for datasets being indexed with incomplete metadata
  • Improved

  • The term "owner" has been updated to "contact" on the Tools & Resources details page
  • Issue submission tickets are now directed to GitHub Issues
  • The References tab has been renamed to Metrics, and now includes both citation counts and protocol metrics

April 16, 2025

  • New

  • The Bluesky feed is now integrated into the News and Events details page, providing real-time updates directly within the portal
  • A new metric showcasing current experiments is now featured on the SPARC Project Details page
  • A new "Community" facet has been introduced to nest datasets contributed by individual community members not affiliated with a consortia
  • An additional pill labeled "Community" is now visible on the Dataset Details page for non-SPARC datasets published through the SPARC organization
  • Improved

  • Plotvuer has been revamped to separate the underlying plotting library, enhancing flexibility for reuse across different components of the portal
  • The "Funding Program" facet has been renamed to "Consortia" across the Data & Models page, Dataset Details page (About tab), and Tools & Resources page
  • A tooltip has been added to the search related datasets icon, clarifying its purpose and enhancing user navigation and search experience
  • The portal footer and share links have been updated to now include Bluesky
  • Corrected connectivity information on the mapviewer's sidebar – Origin, Components and Destinations are now consistent with knowledge source
  • Fixed several maps UI related bugs to improve overall user experience

March 5, 2025

  • Improved

  • Datasets without attached projects now display funding details as unlinked on the "About" page for consistency. Metadata unavailable due to the absence of a project is shown as "None specified."
  • Manifest JSON files are now included within downloaded single files to ensure provenance to the source
  • All institutions are now searchable using the search facet

January 22, 2025

  • Improved

  • Implemented improvements to make better use of server-side rendering (SSR), significantly reducing the number of requests sent to Contentful
  • Migrated our mailing list subscription management from MailChimp to HubSpot to enhance efficiency and streamline communications from the Portal
  • Project pages have been updated to simplify navigation and improve access to resources for investigators

November 26, 2024

  • Improved

  • The X panel has been removed from the News and Events landing page to improve the overall user experience
  • Newsletter links on the News and Events landing page now direct users to their location on the SPARC Help Center
  • Updates have been implemented to ensure image data information is consistent across the portal
  • Workspaces now reference organization IDs instead of organization names to ensure functionality remains unaffected by name changes

October 16, 2024

  • New

  • Users can now filter the gallery by item type, simplifying the browsing experience. This feature allows users to quickly find specific items by category, making it easier to view the available options.
  • Users can now filter files in the Files tab of Dataset Details, making it easier to discover and access specific file types
  • Images from related datasets within the same project are now displayed beneath the image viewer
  • Improved

  • The homepage has been reorganized, with 'What Can I Do with SPARC' now taking the place of 'SPARC by the Numbers
  • Datasets on the consortia pages now automatically cycle through, providing users with a dynamic browsing interaction

September 5, 2024

  • New

  • A new Funding Program facet has been added to the Data & Models faceted browsing options
  • Registered users can now create map annotations directly from their SPARC profile, while non-registered users can request access to this feature
  • The template_schema_version is now displayed in the metadata section under the Abstract tab for applicable datasets
  • Links that describe tools’ actions have been added to viewers, offering users guidance
  • Improved

  • The Cite section on the dataset details page has been updated to include instructions on citing materials and methods
  • Tools and resources are now more accessible, with clickable images for easier navigation
  • The search placeholder text has been updated to provide users with prompts and examples for search keywords
  • The AWS download information has been updated to include a list of the current per GB charges
  • The redundant “Go to oSPARC” button, which duplicated the function of the Run Simulation button, has been removed
  • The "How to Navigate Datasets" link has been moved for better visibility and is now positioned under the "Dataset Files" title within the "Files" tab

July 19, 2024

  • Improved

  • Our homepage has a revamped look! The updated design features:
    • Highlights of consortia supported by SPARC
    • Total contributions to SPARC
    • A new "Find by" section replacing "Find data by category"
  • Users can now view in-progress datasets within their respective workspaces on their SPARC profiles
  • All datasets associated with a project are now displayed on the project details page

June 12, 2024

  • New

  • Users can now request access to full datasets of an old version by clicking the request access button in the files tab of that version
  • The consortia supported by the portal now have landing pages accessible from the About section
  • Improved

  • Data submission forms have been updated to include the estimated size of the data to be submitted
  • A generic flatmap is now displayed in the map viewer when no anatomical entity is applicable to a dataset
  • A generic flatmap is now displayed in the gallery for species that do not have a specific flatmap
  • Projects are no longer housed in the Data&Models tab; they can now be found under the supported consortia in the About section