Network for
Agent-based modelling of
Socio-ecological
Systems in
Archaeology

NASSA library

The NASSA library is an open-source repository collecting stable, version-controlled modules to be used inside or in connection to (agent-based) simulation models that aim at representing socio-ecological systems and addressing archaeological questions.

NASSA provides a standardised module format (NASSA-schema) and encourages programming good practices, as well as a framework for the review and curation of modules using GitHub code review feature.

Modules are authored submissions, individually licensed and citable as other academic publications. However, as a community resource, they remain open for further development and revision by the original author(s) or any contributor, under the curation of NASSA members.

Browse modules using the NASSA library Web interface


What is a NASSA module?

A NASSA module is a program specification and implementation in one or more programming languages, accompanied by its unique metadata and documentation designed to facilitate its long-term and community-wide understanding and reuse. All modules are ultimately algorithms, i.e., finite sequences of formal instructions that receive an input and generate an output.

diagram of module elements

The NASSA library schema classifies modules as algorithms only if their functionality is indivisible. Alternatively, modules are classified as submodels if they contain more than one algorithm that can be explicitly defined as separate modules.

diagram of module types