Optimizing communications satellite deployment: development of a decision aid

We discuss the problem of optimizing the utilization of communication satellite capacity. The modern fixed satellite service provider seeks improved methods to optimize the amount of service demand that is accommodated by capacity available on its satellite network. A mixed-integer programming (MIP) model is proposed for the solution of the problem, as part of a decision support tool. Such a tool integrates three system components, which are: a mathematical optimization model, an optimization algorithm, and a graphical user interface. We discuss the design process associated with each component of the system and conclude with preliminary results obtained from sample optimization runs.