VieSched++ Recent Developments and Lessons Learned from Two Years of Fully Automated Scheduling

Abstract

VieSched++ is an open source VLBI scheduling and simulation software that is already operationally used worldwide. Within the IVS, over ten active observing programs are currently scheduled using VieSched++. This accumulates to over 400 sessions for the year 2022 alone. Within this work, the most recent developments of VieSched++ are summarized. Additionally, the quality of the derived schedules is investigated based on the INT2 and INT3 observing programs. Within these programs, the reported UT1-UTC formal errors could be reduced by up to 50 %. Finally, improvements in the robustness of the automated scheduling pipelines are discussed, as well as an outlook of future development plans of VieSched++ is provided.