Modeling Movement on Water: Generating past mobility corridors on the sea
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 16/09/2019

Seafaring is not a new concept, but modeling least-cost routes through maritime spaces has yet to be developed to the same extent as landscape modeling. Researchers have approached this issue through traditional least-cost pathway analysis run in ArcGIS using combined DEM and flat-cost sea surfaces, to the development of Agent Based Models specifically targeted to Polynesian sailing strategies. No matter the method used, these methods are often applied to the evaluating possible avenues of human expansion across oceans and onto islands. However, many of the researchers who study modeling movement through seascapes have developed their own models or methods for discussing this issue on seascapes around the globe. Due to the regionally specific nature of this analysis, such as the change in current and wind patterns, each researcher has also had to adapt different data sets to meet their needs. This is compounded by the varied nature of seafaring technology, for example the sailing versus canoeing divide, which separates modeled routes in the Pacific from those in the Caribbean. Adding in the influence of the people in the vessel to the time cost for canoeing or sailing between coastlines can make the modeling of least-cost routes difficult. In my own research, I have applied a directed isochrone method to evaluate possible avenues of connection between mainland and Island communities as well as inter-island interaction in the Caribbean. In this presentation, I will discuss the history of GIS-based seascape route modeling and the issues I have faced.

(Emma Slayton)