Pluperfect
Active Member
Programme for Universal Logistical Solutions [PULS]
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a programme to improve logistics. Both for civilian and military use.
- Image Source: N/A
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Phaseera Manufacturing
- Affiliation: Phaseera Manufacturing
- Market Status: Closed-Market
- Model: PM PULS 5.4a
- Modularity: Extreme - this software can be reprogrammed and further developed.
- Production: Mass-Produced
- Material: N/A
- See Strengths & Weaknesses
- Master of Logistics: This device is specialised in logistics and has served industrial and shipping companies for decades. It can work to streamline production lines, work shifts, shipping lanes and busy spaceports. It can calculate efficient solutions in complicated traffic situations and organise schedules for tens of thousands of employees while respecting a broad range of specific requirements. It has the capacity of serving as an advanced GPS that can also account for other vehicles.
- Versatile: While earlier versions of PULS have been versatile enough to work in a number of areas within the civilian sector, the PM PULS 5.4a has been developed to also be usable in military situations. With input from sensory data, it can map out traffic - or similar - situations as well as expected and possible routes that units might take. It can calculate optimal paths and convey the results to a user.
- Centralisation and networking: It is possible for this programme to be connected to multiple hardware units at once and gather data from all of them. This makes it possible to better streamline operations and coordinate each connected unit. It is also possible for two units with separate PULS programmes to connect which allows the programme to share data between the two hardware units and lower the stress on each individual hardware unit.
- Safe: With strong firewalls and other countermeasures, it is hard to hack this unit. It is complex enough to make a successful breach hard to capitalise on in other ways than breaking the programme entirely.
- High system requirements: This is a labour intensive programme and cannot be installed onto anything. Usually, it has to be installed onto a high-end computer or a more advanced droid. If it is installed on a sub-par computer or a too simple droid, it will, if activated, quickly overwork the device.
- Centralisation & reliance: When the system is centralised, it will in short gather information from and organise multiple hardware units. If one of these units were to be taken offline, there would not be any notable impact on the programmes functionality for the remaining units. If the PULS itself is removed from the equation all units connected to it will be rendered without its services. Where it is employed, the PULS tends to become an invaluable part of daily operations which can make this particularly devastating. If the PULS is connected to another PULS, the removal of one will not be equally devastating. However, since all connected programmes share work burdens in order to ease the capacity strain on a single hardware unit, the removal of one might temporarily increase the workload on the others unexpectedly.
- Intricate code: The code of the programme is extremely intricate. Over the years, an army of different software developers have worked to refine it. This makes it hard to comprehend for anyone who encounters it for the first time. Finding people who can work on continuing to develop it can be hard. This also means that there have been high development costs which drives up its price for the programme on the market.
- Reliant: The PULS does not have any means of gathering data itself and is reliant on a connection to data from another source than itself. Whether it is optical data, data from the holonet or a datasheet, it will all have to be from another source than the PULS.
The PULS was originally designed to provide automated logistical solutions to medium to small sized businesses. The Board of Phaseera Manufacturing was pleased to see the programme being met with early success and invested resources in continued development. Over time, it became increasingly grand in its scale and became well suited to organise and streamline logistical operations on a more massive scale. As distribution increased, being well versed in the workings of the PULS could be meritorious when looking for office jobs in related fields.
The PM PULS 5.4a version of the programme was far more dangerous than previous versions. Instead of continued development towards purely civilian usage, it was developed to be more compatible with military hardware. While it had always been capable of coordinating and optimising supply chains, it could now also be used for aiding captains and pilots navigate better in battles and to help them predict where hostile vessels might go. It could also, for instance, be used to aid in coordinating droids or to serve as an integrated function in advanced HUD systems.
While the programme is not an AI and does not think on its own, multiple functions can be automated. It is also not creative which means that, while it might be able to calculate an exact and ideal path, it might not be able to account for the human factor in less predictable environments. When used for logistics, the PULS can produce complete plans that can be executed and followed with a high efficiency expectancy. When it is used for combat roles, it is more common for it to aid humans or droids whi will then have to make the final decision.
Still relatively new to the market, the combat oriented PM PULS 5.4a is not widely known to the market at large. So far, it has seen limited use in select scenarios. The Phaseera Manufacturing Board is optimistic about its future and have shown eagerness in the prospect of continuing to develop and market it. Investigations are being made as to what military operations it might be useful in.
