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The DIVA duty schedule program makes it possible to construct duty schedules for transport operators. It makes it possible to create duties taking legal regulations and operational agreements into consideration.
DIVA duty schedule is suitable for both regional transport operators and urban operators. Duties can either be created by editing vehicle blocks or directly interlinking timetable journeys.

DIVA duty schedule includes the following functions:

• Service pool transfer from timetable and vehicle scheduling
• Adjustment of legal and operational regulations
• Duty editing (editing of duties, spare capacity creation)
• Statistical analyses for controlling (duty schedule statistics, duty register view, carriage stock curve)
• Regional duty scheduling
• Planned roster editing (theoretical roster editing, roster position occupation)
• Printout generation (duty schedule printout, depot departure list etc.)
• Train planning

DIVA duty schedule makes it possible to work in a user-friendly and efficient way when scheduling duties by using techniques such as drag & drop for editing and managing duties, checking shift types, legal and operational regulations during duty creation etc. It is possible to work in both graphic and tabular views. The user is provided with the best possible assistance by the many different automation facilities and the use of mathematical optimisation procedures:

• The imitator depicts existing duties from old projects on the current service pool
• The previous/next search helps to create individual services
• Service plan optimisation ? based on mathematical optimisation procedures ? creates entire duty schedules

If a timetable has been approved, its data can be transferred into the duty schedule. During the transfer the duty scheduler can decide whether to generate a completely new schedule or base it on an existing duty schedule from another project. The duties are then re-imported into the duty schedule and updated. The previously created duties are reproduced if possible when the service pool is transferred. Freely definable additional duties for special trips etc. can be added to the service pool in DIVA duty schedule.

The functionality can be adapted to user requirements during duty creation by means of parameterisation. Parameters exist for checking legal and operational requirements, for automatically calculating working time supplements and for automatically creating secondary services. Additional, freely definable secondary services can also be inserted.
The calculation of duty values can also be adjusted if required. Another adjusting facility is provided by shift types, which are used as tools during duty creation. However, duty creation can also be carried out without using shift types.

Duties and the service pool can be managed according to depots and operating branches and provide the user with a way of creating a working environment that meets individual requirements. Calculating services in accordance with different tariffs for different driver groups is also easy to do in this way. The services are edited directly in the graphics. The user is assisted by automation functions:

• Duty schedules can be displayed automatically based on existing duty schedules using the imitator
• A wide variety of copying functions make it possible to copy services or groups of services and their shift types from other projects
• The previous/next search assists the user in setting up individual services and evaluates the alternatives that are available
• The duty creation rules are monitored during duty creation and the result of the check is displayed
• The automatic creation of secondary services adds service elements in accordance with user-defined rules, which also contribute to the kilometre performance
• Duty schedule optimisation forms complete duty schedules (see below for details).

The optimisation and automation functions that are provided give the user an effective tool for managing large, flexible data resources.
As well as the actual duty creation functionality, analytical tools are also available to the planner. The ?Calculate duties? function can be used to estimate the minimum number of services that are required, or the carriage stock curve function can be used to graphicly display the duty to be covered and compare it to existing duties or the shift type selection for a duty group.

The program assists the user during planning before the duties are edited.

• An initial estimate is provided by a function for calculating the number of duties that are needed
• The carriage stock curve provides an overview of the shift types that are needed

Other views containing statistical data show the result of the construction and assist the user in his evaluation:

• The duty register view and the duty plan statistics provide a wide range of data concerning the individual duties and the overall duty plan and therefore make it possible to assess the duty plan in accordance with criteria such as efficiency, social compatibility etc.

DIVA duty schedule also makes it possible to construct duty schedules together with blocks (duty = block). The user can work using tables or graphics. It is possible to work on several display screens.
Trips and duties are displayed in graphic views or in tabular format. Trips and duties are displayed as Gantt charts for graphic editing of duties, and can be modified in these charts. The duties that are created are checked immediately and the results is displayed using appropriate coloured symbols.
The duties that are created can be printed as a Gantt chart. A duty schedule booklet can also be directly output in a complicated layout in Postscript format.

The final stage in the duty scheduling process is rostering, which is also frequently referred to as roster creation. The finished duties from the individual duty groups must now be stored in roster groups, as they are called, so that a logical duty sequence is created for the driver. Here it is important to adhere to the nightly rest period and to ensure that the duties are organised with a certain regularity. The relevant parameters and functions for both requirements are available in DIVA.
In DIVA duty schedule the user can defined different theoretical rosters for the different roster groups. The roster manager assists the user in creating the duty roster for the different roster groups.
The rosters that are initially schematically created can be depicted on the calendar as a roster matrix with DIVA roster in order to provide a concrete driver/duty assignment [reference to relevant section in Personnel Deployment chapter].

The duties that have been created can be printed in the form of a Gantt chart or table. A duty schedule booklet can also be directly output in a complicated layout using Postscript.
The layout of the standard duty schedule booklet can be tailored to the user and adapted by the user himself later.
[Illustration of duty schedule printout]

DIVA duty schedule can be used for train planning. When the service pool is imported, the carriages belonging to a rail company are recognised and combined accordingly. Special printouts create the shunting instructions when trains are being divided up or assembled.