SAPS is an acronym for System Approach Problem Solver. The software implements a set of tools stemming from General System Theory. The methodology described in this report has first been developed by George Klir and his students at SUNY Binghamton. SAPS looks at measurement data retrieved from a source system. It can calculate the behavior of that system, find out about input/output relations between the different variables contained in the system, and forecast its future behavior. It can be used to discuss substructures from which the system is composed by disaggregating the overall system into a set of subsystems. Finally, SAPS can be used to identify changes in the behavior of a time varying system at the meta system level.
SAPS can perform these functions with no knowledge of the system other than a listing of raw data observed or measured from the system. This listing is called the data system. The data system is just a listing of data values for the variables which the user has chosen to represent the system. The data system has sometimes been referred to as a data model, data file, data bank, or data matrix. In this CTRL-C version of SAPS, the data system is simply a matrix where the columns correspond to different variables, and the rows correspond to different reference points (usually time).
SAPS is based on a hierarchical set of systems. The lowest level system is the data system described above. In hierarchical order, the remaining systems are the behavior system, the structure system, and the meta system. SAPS has the capabilities for the user to construct a behavior system from a data system. It can then construct a structure system from the behavior system. Although the meta system is at the highest level of hierarchy, it is constructed directly from the data system.
The SAPS-II software contains an interactive HELP library that can be called for assistance in the use of SAPS procedures. This allows a user to build familiarity with SAPS by actually performing SAPS procedures.
CTRL-C has been used as a "shell" (as often referred to be people working in Artificial Intelligence) embedding the SAPS features. In this way, the time needed to develop the SAPS-II software has been largely reduced, and all of the powerful CTRL-C utilities (like plotting) are readily available to the SAPS-II user as well.