SATURN™, named after the Roman god of time, is an advanced planning and scheduling application that provides optimized task scheduling and resource allocation for a virtually unlimited variety of applications and industries. SATURN allows operators, designers and engineers to model their systems and perform operational scheduling and analysis - right out of the box.
Orbit Logic created SATURN™ based on its industry-leading planning and scheduling software for space systems, STK/Scheduler. Users can define tasks and related resource requirements, request schedule solutions, and analyze the results through a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) or via the Application Program Interface (API). SATURN makes space system scheduling technology available to solve complex Earth-bound system scheduling challenges.
SATURN™ is powered by a scheduling engine from Orbit Logic partner Optwise Corporation. It finds better solutions in a shorter amount of time than traditional heuristic algorithms. The global search algorithm within this engine is based on neural network technology that not only outperforms traditional scheduling engines, but can find solutions to larger and more complex problems. SATURN™ allows system planners to maximize the return from limited resources
Key Features
Flexible task and resource definition
Tasks may be defined as recurring or non-recurring with specific scheduling windows and fixed or variable durations and requiring any logical combination of defined resources and associated time contraints. Resources are defined with global availability (or blackout) times including periodic options or by external report times. In addition, tasks can deplete or replenish resource capacity by a fixed amount or at a user-defined rate.
Schedule solution optimization
Don't just find any solution, find an optimized solution. Most heuristic engines stop when they find the first working solution. SATURN™ provides multiple algorithms, including a neural-based global search engine option to search and compare a multitude of possible solutions in parallel to find the best working schedule option within defined constraints. The user is given the option of using several different scheduling algorithms, and can even modify the constants in the figure of merit (FOM) to tailor the solution scoring mechanism for a user-specific definition of "optimum".
Integrated graphical interface
A single customizable window provides task and resource attribute data, task Gantt charting and resource histograms. Filter, sort, group and resize Gantt and table views to get the window arrangement that best supports your planning needs.
Resource and task editing GUIs are just a right-click away from any object in the window. The user is also provided with many shortcuts to help speed the schedule definition process for simple problems, and powerful flexibility to define even the most complex scheduling scenarios. Form-specific HTML help is provided for SATURN; simply click on the "?" on any form to access information about the active form and any associated fields. Multiple schedules can be displayed at the same time, objects may be cut and pasted between schedules, and two schedule files can even be merged into a single combined schedule.
Application Programming Interface
SATURN™ comes with a comprehensive API that allows the software to be fully automated and integrated with 3rd party software products, including user-provided scheduling algorithms. The API was designed to allow any GUI function to be performed through the API; define and redefine tasks and resources and scheduling options, request task and resource attributes, generate a new schedule solution, or request a schedule report. SATURN™ API command formats are fully defined in the Help files, and can be sent directly to the SATURN™ application through a standard Microsoft COM interface. SATURN™ can even import and execute a text file of valid API commands.