PERPLEX is a software program that can be used to plan and efficiently execute expeditions with research vessels. The software was developed at the Alfred Wegener Institute and used during many cruises of the RV Polarstern.
PERPLEX allows scientists and chief scientist as well as logisticians and nautical personnel to optimize routes and compare them with water depths, territorial zones and other important boundary conditions, e.g. sea ice concentration. In addition, individual equipment deployments can be planned and the requirements of participants can be taken into account and adjusted.
The planning, including all relevant information, is not only done before the expedition, but must also be updated regularly during the expedition, taking into account, for example, the actual ship speed or the duration of equipment deployments. The chief scientist can easily use Perplex to create relatively precise work plans for the next few days. The remaining ship time is also continuously recalculated in order to meet the scheduled end of the voyage at the specified port of arrival. The software is based on a graphical user interface that displays all the necessary information, such as the station list and map, side by side.
The software has been in use at the AWI since August 2000 and has been continuously modified to meet new requirements Thus it was difficult to access the source codes of the software as open source. For this reason, Perplex has been completely redesigned as version Perplex7 in a clear structure and based on the current Matlab version (R2023b).
