SATURN TEN Version 10.

6
First of all, I wish you a warm welcome to SATURN 10.6.
This note shows you how to install SATURN and introduces you to the latest features in both
SATURN 10.6 and SATWIN, SATURN Tens User-friendly Interface.
SATURN 10.6 is the successor to all the previous versions of SATURN, including the last full
release, version 10.5. It represents a direct evolution from its predecessor whilst offering
significant enhancements from the strong existing base. The first Beta release of SATURN 10.6
was in 2005 (with purely temporary version numbers 10.6.1 through to 10.6.12) and this has now
culminated in this full formal release as 10.6.14.
In its basic evolutionary form SATURN 10.6 adds many new features affecting simulationassignment functions and network displays and editing. A full list is contained in Appendix D-15
of the Manual. The majority of the changes relate to the analysis functions of P1X, etc. but a
number of significant, although minor, improvements have been made to the simulation and
assignment routines which, as noted above, affect the basic number crunching. In particular,
these provide the possibility of much better simulation-assignment convergence. We have also
introduced further reporting to help users better understand the root causes of very poor
assignment-simulation convergence.
In terms of compatibility with previous releases we first note that there have been no changes to
the format of binary matrix (.ufm) files so that matrix files from previous releases (within reason!)
may still be used within 10.6 and, conversely, previous releases of programs such as MX should be
able to happily read and process .ufm files produced under 10.6.
On the other hand the formats of network ASCII data files (.dat) and (a few) control files have
evolved marginally (e.g., new &PARAM parameters and/or options have been added) such that
there is no absolute guarantee that a file created under 10.6 rules will be backwards compatible
for programs issued under previous releases. However 10.6 programs should be able to correctly
read all data and binary .ufs files created by previous SATURN releases.
There is, however, a caveat to the last statement given that the number of error checks, both fatal
and non-fatal, has increased in 10.6. It is therefore quite possible that network data files which
previously passed will now fail in SATNET under one of the new fatal errors and the
necessary corrections will need to be made before that network will run under 10.6.
Users running existing networks may also wish to check their new .lpn files for any of the latest
Warnings 80 to 85, Serious Warnings 41 to 48 and Non-Fatal Errors 63 to 65 as they may identify
previously undetected problems within their networks.
We may also note at this point that, given the (relatively minor) changes introduced into some of
the simulation and assignment routines (e.g., to prevent program crashes) 10.6 SATURN will
almost certainly produce slightly different answers, given the same inputs, from previous releases.
However, we would expect such changes to be small (e.g., changes in aggregate output statistics of
under 1%). To a certain extent older results may be reproduced by using the parameter NFT = 10.5
(say) to exclude the most recent changes but, unfortunately, some of the changes have had to be
hard wired into the code and cannot be avoided. Remember that they have all been introduced
for very good reasons!

One of the key development themes over the last 12 months, in response to users requests, has
been to improve the reporting and documentation. Of particular note is the new Appendix E which
provides details on the various link data items available in P1X from the link annotation menus,
and includes a potted explanation of what each contains. Appendix E will continue to expand over
the next few months to include both node and turn data and will be available on the SATURN
website.
Other development themes have included:

Additional importing / exporting of data procedures in MX to ease the exchange of matrix

data with other packages such as TUBA or EXCEL;
The introduction of extra arrays in the output networks to provide a list of all tolls (as
opposed to previous versions where only the tolls entered under 44444 were explicitly
stored). This means that a number of analysis options such as Joy Rides in P1X now
provide complete summation of link tolls en route;
An option (Clicks) to define variable maximum free-flow speeds by user class. This
allows, for example, heavy lorries to have lower speeds (and therefore higher times) than
cars on high-speed motorway links. In turn this may influence their assigned route choice;
Options within SATALL which permit the assignment-simulation loops to terminate on a
%GAP value rather than ISTOP; and finally
A Warm START option which allows the very first assignment within SATALL to be
based on the flows from a previous assignment, leading to potentially major improvements
in convergence and cpu times.

We have also continued our policy of providing access to a free restricted area version of the
DRACULA micro-simulation through either the cordon or node graphics/animation options of
P1X. Try it with a background bitmap or aerial photograph for best effect.
Installation
To install SATURN 10.6, simply insert the CD and follow the on-screen instructions. If the CD
does not Autorun the install process, double-click on Setup.exe and proceed as above.
You may either install SATURN under the default directories or select folders according to your
own preference. Once a suitable home has been chosen, program executables and assorted DLLs,
bat and control files, help and Word based documentation will be automatically installed on your
hard disk. You can then run SATURN as previously from a Command prompt (remembering to set
the Path to the directory chosen for EXE and BAT file, \SATWIN\XEXES\ by default and check
preferences in SAT10KEY.DAT), or use SATWIN, which is the preferred interface for SATURN
Ten, via the Icon on your Desktop.

We have also made some changes to the install procedure as follows:

Checks are now made for existing Windows drivers already installed with the user now having
a choice of either keeping the existing versions and overwriting them with newer versions;
The Windows drivers (i.e. .DLL and .OCX files) are now located in the \SYSFILES directory
replacing the previous \DLL folder; and
The install notes within the SETUP.EXE clarify that the existing versions of the software will
be overwritten. If the user wishes to maintain the existing version, they should either install
the software to a different directory (e.g. C:\SATWIN2) or take a back-up. Alternatively, the
use may wish to transfer the existing files in \XEXES to another folder (e.g. \XEXES.OLD)
and switch between them, once installed, using the Folders option in the Settings menu in
SATWIN.
Further details on Getting Started with SATWIN are provided in Section 3 of the User Guide
(Available under SATWIN Toolbar as SATURN_Manual.).
SATWIN: An Integrated Front-End
SATWIN has also been designed to perform as an integrated front-end for a range of transport
planning software including not only SATURN, but DRACULA and PT-SATURN too. The
Dracula Demonstration is fully integrated with the release of SATURN and access to the full
program will be through SATWIN. Similarly, PT-SATURN modules, when loaded, will execute in
the same way as those from SATURN.
In conjunction with the updates to the Installation procedure, we have also made some changes to
SATWIN:
There is a new file, created by the install, called SATURN.VER that provides details on the
installed version (e.g. 10.6.14), levels (e.g. L) and the resulting array sizes (e.g. maximum
number of zones permitted);
A new information box, located on the lower left-hand side of the screen, which provides
details of the release version and level (e.g. SATURN 10.6.14, Level L); Double-clicking
the box will provide further details;
A new SATCH module under Module Run;
When the Set Module Parameters button is clicked (in Batch Run dialog box) a help screen,
which shows how to use the module is displayed. All the modules selected by the user are
displayed in an editable area, enabling commands to be edited if necessary before they are
saved to the batch file;
Pressing the F4 keyboard function key will run the selected command in the "Event Log"; and
An update to the Help section that includes further details of training contacts.
Forthcoming Developments
SATURN continues to evolve with a number of key developments in the pipeline that will emerge
over the next 12 months or so, as outlined below.
Existing Documentation
We have already improved the documentation and we are now turning our attention to reformatting the WORD documents into standard HTML, PDF and Windows Help formats. These
will be released via the SATURN software website in March 2006 details of how to download
the new documents will be published on the website and forum nearer the time.

SATURN Forum & Web-Based Support

The SATURN Software Forum (http://www.saturnsoftware.co.uk/forum) was launched last year
for users to exchange ideas, share knowledge and suggest improvements to SATURN. The
number of regular online users continues to grow so why not direct your mouse towards it? We
will also be overhauling the existing ITS SATURN website to provide much more information on
SATURN, PT-SATURN and DRACULA.
In conjunction with the upgraded website, we will be moving towards more web-based support
and distribution in the coming months. At present, users typically only receive updates on an
annual basis and they may be missing out on the latest developments to the software. Frequently,
these newer releases have already answered their query as well as offering access to new features.
Moreover, users wishing to upgrade to larger versions, as part of their work, sometimes have to
wait several days for their new software to arrive via the postal system. The adoption of a new
web-based support and distribution system will enable registered users to download the software
directly and to improve the service.
At the same time, we will also be making some revisions to the existing licence / maintenance
agreements and pricing structures. The proposed changes will update the original SATURN
licensing arrangements and bring them more into line with other transport software whilst still
providing affordable access to the world-leading equilibrium highway assignment suite. The
changes will be introduced during the next financial year (i.e. FY06/07) and will apply to new
purchases, upgrades and maintenance from April 2006 onwards. The principal changes will be:

The adoption of a campus-based maintenance structure the new structure will continue
to provide an unlimited number of users within each campus but would require additional
maintenance for other campuses, reflecting the number of users requiring maintenance.
However, the majority of our users will not be directly affected by these revisions; and
The simplification and updating of the existing price structure there will be two sets of
charges for users within or outside the UK, removing the current small price differentials
between UK public and private sectors.

Origin-Based Assignment
Work also continues on demonstrating the benefits of SATURN Origin Based Assignment (OBA)
developed in conjunction with Prof. Hillel BarGera, Prof. David Boyce and the University of
Chicago. OBA was developed by Hillel as a PhD student of Prof. Boyce at the University of
Illinois at Chicago in the late 1990s. His work has revolutionised traffic assignment in that his
methods solve for Wardrop Equilibrium solutions to an accuracy limited only by the numerical
accuracy of the computer and within comparable cpu times to existing algorithms such as FrankWolfe as traditionally used in SATURN. It therefore has the potential to offer significantly
improved convergence over previous SATURN versions.
OBA is particularly efficient in assessing the impact of small schemes. If the assignment is less
than perfect then the change in, say, total vehicle-hours due to the scheme may be totally masked
by the intrinsic noise in the with-scheme and without-scheme solutions. By making the
assignment extremely accurate OBA allows the impact of even very small changes, such as the
addition of a single lane or changes to signal timings, to be accurately measured.

OBA comes in the form of an add-on to SATURN at a modest cost (see separate sheet for technical
and cost details). Background papers are included in Appendix G and instructions for running
OBA within SATALL are given in Section 21.
The current implementation of OBA is for single User Class problems and inelastic assignment
only, but developments for Multiple-User-Class and demand responsive options are in-hand.
Please contact me for further details.
Other Suggestions
If you have any suggestions for what you would like to see in future versions of SATURN and
SATWIN, please let us know. We rely on you, as users, to move forward.
How can you help? Let us know preferably via the Discussion Forum - of any problems you
have or features you would like and we will look into them. As always with SATURN, we will try
to respond to user needs, but we do need to hear from you to do this.
In the meantime, I wish you a successful introduction to SATURN 10.6.
Ian Wright
Atkins Transport Planning
ian.wright@atkinsglobal.com