NEW RELEASES OF LINGO, LINDO API

NEW RELEASES OF LINGO, LINDO API

LINDO Systems announced the release of LINGO 9.0 and LINDO API 3.0. These new releases include major solver enhancements to increase speed and reliability on broad classes of linear, integer, quadratic and general nonlinear models. Other significant changes in both products include an enhanced presolver and improved tools for infeasible models. The new release of LINGO also includes a number of new features that make expressing and solving models easier and more flexible.

Several enhancements are included in both LINGO and LINDO API. The Dual Simplex solver is 50 percent to 250 percent faster on a wide range of linear problems. Significant enhancements to the Barrier solver include improved exploitation of sparsity, better handling of dense columns, dynamic scaling of quadratic models and improved exploitation of individual hardware platforms. Several enhancements to the Integer solver boost speed on broad classes of integer problems and improve efficiency.

The Integer solver’s memory management, presolver and probing routines have been improved, and the probing and branching strategies have been expanded. The Global solver is substantially faster and more robust due to a number of major enhancements. The nonlinear/nonsmooth solution heuristic and cut generation in the convex relaxation and the global branch-and-bound scheme have been improved. A number of enhancements improve performance on nonlinear integer models, and support has been added for a number of new nonlinear functions.

The NLP solver has been redesigned to improve solution speed on nonlinear models. The completely redesigned presolver has been expanded to include nonlinear models with linear coefficients, and, as a result, many nonlinear and quadratic models will solve more quickly. The tools for analyzing infeasible models have been improved to more quickly isolate portions of the formulation that cause the model to be infeasible.

An important enhancement to LINGO 9.0 is the addition of full support for LINDO’s style of model expression. This allows traditional interactive LINDO 6.1 users to upgrade to LINGO and solve their existing linear and integer models substantially faster.

Other enhancements specific to LINGO include improved and faster model generation and display, expanded report writing capabilities, a new ability to perform computations on input data, and new and improved arithmetic functions.

UTS OFFERS FREE ‘PLAYER’ SOFTWARE

Universal Technical Systems (UTS) now provides free software for sharing Excel worksheets and mathematical models created in TK Solver 5.0 Premium Edition as part of a new feature set in the math modeling system that allows TK Solver users to dynamically link any number of mathematical models to an Excel spreadsheet and “package” the file without any programming. The new packaging feature automatically converts the file into a mini-application (.exe, .zip, .tkx) that can be
shared with anyone, anywhere via the TK Solver Player for Excel. The Player is a collaborative math engine that can be downloaded from the UTS Web site free of charge, similar to the way Adobe Systems distributes their reader for viewing PDF files. Once downloaded, it runs entirely behind the scenes and allows Excel users to take advantage of a wealth of TK Solver functionality – all from a familiar Excel interface. Package “recipients” can interact with the model by changing inputs and viewing the outputs, perform automatic unit conversions and iterative calculations, as well as take advantage of extensive
NIST thermodynamic and transport property functions. Although totally interactive, the original formulas and models remain
“protected,” and the recipient is not able to view or modify them.

MATHEMATICA 5.1 HANDLES LARGE-SCALE DATA

Wolfram Research announced the release of Mathematica 5.1, “the data functions release,” the latest version of the science and technology software system Mathematica. Building on Mathematica 5’s speed, scope and scalability improvements, Version 5.1 adds a host of new capabilities, especially for working with large-scale, diverse types of data.

Complementing these new capabilities are enhancements to Mathematica’s unique Automatic Algorithm Selection – the inherent intelligence that automatically applies the best algorithm to each task. Mathematica 5.1 adds more algorithms and better intelligence in a number of key areas.

There are more than 50 new functions, toolkits and performance improvements in Mathematica 5.1, including industrial strength string manipulation, built-in universal database connectivity, highly optimized binary data I/O, additional import-export formats, including XLS and AVI, integrated Web services support, 2D and 3D automated network visualization, high-performance array visualization, and numerical linear algebra performance enhancements.

Other new functions include: fully integrated piecewise functions, integration over implicitly defined regions, event handling in numerical differential equations, new algorithms for symbolic differential equations, cluster analysis capabilities, interactive exploration tool for differential equations, MathematicaMark benchmarking tool and built-in GUIKit interface and application builder.

DECISIONEERING RELEASES CRYSTAL BALL 7

Decisioneering, a provider of software and services for risk analysis and optimization, has released Crystal Ball 7.Crystal Ball
7 will allow users greater ability to transform Microsoft Excel spreadsheets into dynamic models that solve problems
involving uncertainty, variability, and risk.

Crystal Ball 7 extends the ability of the software with scalable methods for sharing
information, improved statistical modeling capabilities and new analysis and reporting tools. These new features shorten the time required to set up models, increase the ease of use and provide simple ways to interpret and communicate results.

Some of Crystal Ball 7’s new enhancements and features include:

• A revised distribution gallery that allows users to share the results of their work with other users and use these results in subsequent models.
  
  
• A new charting engine that delivers presentation-quality charts and reports.
  
  
• A new assumption chart interface allowing users to overlay assumptions, add marker lines to track specific values or statistics and graphically view the generated random numbers.
  
  
• Ability to fit distributions to forecasts during the simulation.
  
  
• Auto-extract feature that writes selected forecast information and statistics to an Excel worksheet after simulation.
  
  
• Ability for correlated assumptions to span worksheets.

GEOCOM PARTNERS WITH OPTISOFT

GEOCOM, architect of A.MAZE, a fleet scheduling optimization, and territory design solution, announced that it has contracted
a partnership with Mexico’s OPTISOFT to promote A.MAZE added-value to Latin American companies operating small
and complex distribution and pickup and delivery businesses. Based in Mexico, OPTISOFT provides enhanced logistics management consulting services to companies that need to turn to technology in order to reduce their distribution costs, and to better serve their customers. OPTISOFT focuses on technologies that solve real business problems in ways that are readily apparent and quickly assimilated by end-users.

PALISADE OFFERS PMI CREDITS FOR @RISK TRAINING

Palisade Corporation recently received accreditation as a Registered Education Provider (REP) from the Project Management
Institute (PMI).Now project management professionals who attend Palisade’s risk assessment seminars earn valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs).

As the world’s largest organization of project managers, PMI is focused on the advancement of the project management profession. The REP designation is awarded only to training organizations that meet the stringent requirements prescribed by the PMI.

In other news, Palisade Corporation recently celebrated its 20th year as a developer of desktop risk and decision analysis software. The company will commemorate the occasion with a number of public education and promotional events throughout the next 12 months, including a series of public short courses to be held in major cities across North America and Europe. These courses will introduce powerful quantitative risk and decision analysis techniques. The course sessions are free of charge. To view a schedule or to register, visit www.palisade.com.