The HUGASEA model: Simulating Hunter-Gathering Sefaring and Social Interaction on Rugged Coastlines

The HUGASEA model is an agent‑based model developed in NetLogo 6.4 to evaluate the interplay between environmental constraints, watercraft technology, and social strategies, and to predict spatial patterns in maritime hunter‑gatherer societies. The model is primarily designed to simulate maritime routes—optimised for travel time and/or risk—between specific locations. These simulated routes are then used to assess degrees of connectivity across a seascape and, ultimately, to evaluate the structure of regional interaction networks. The model has been developed within the framework of the research project “Modelling and simulating Hunter‑Gatherer Seafaring in the Americas: exploring the interplay between ecology, society and watercraft technology in cold temperate environments,” funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska‑Curie Grant Agreement No. 101066298.