For Santa's helpers, the work is seasonal and demanding. Millions of children worldwide expect their chosen gifts to be made and delivered on time. The rosters for Santa's helpers need to take into account the helpers' different skills and experience, union rules, peak demand periods, days off, and customer preferences.

CSIRO has developed software that draws up rosters for staff of large organisations. CSIRO operations research specialists have developed rostering systems for train drivers, air crews, motor registry officers and road service patrols.

CSIRO could build a computer model that takes all these criteria into account and produce a roster for Santa that's reliable, fair and gets the job done, says CSIRO's David Sier.

"Each organisation's needs are different. But most off-the-shelf rostering software fails to recognise this. It's either too hard to customise or only relevant for one type of organisation. CSIRO has looked broadly at the kinds of rostering systems industry needs. We can build organisations a tailor-made rostering system from scratch," Mr Sier says.

More information contact: David Sier, Operations Research Group, CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences, phone (03) 9545 8043, after hours (03) 9380 5500.

Suggested visuals: Santa using the software on a laptop computer. Screen shot of rosters.