Interfaces: Smallworld-based engineering studies with customer information loads
Requirements
The analysis of the manual process revealed that significant savings could be obtained
by implementing two high level requirements.
-
Automate the input of conductors and equipment from the GIS into the analysis
Application
- Use actual vs. estimated loads
To accomplish this, the application would need an interface between the GIS and the
analysis application in order to transfer network information to the analysis application.
Additionally, the system would need to tie the actual Kilowatt Hour (KWh) load data
from the Customer Information System (CIS) with the distribution facilities in order to
increase the accuracy of the load model.
During the detail design phase the following requirements were defined:
- The interfaces would not be real-time
-
The distribution analysis methodology at UtiliCorp is to take a snapshot of
the distribution network during peak load conditions. Therefore, real-time
data is not needed.
- The process would utilize the ASCII loader provided by the analysis application.
-
The ASCII loader was already in use at UtiliCorp and engineers are
familiar with it .
- The ASCII loader checks for data errors during the load process, and
provides reasonable error logs.
- The ACSII loader was previously purchased, therefore no additional cost.
- Use a standard file format designed to import customer information into the
Smallworld datastore.
-
UtiliCorp has two legacy Customer Information Systems and a new CIS is
being installed.
- The data from the various legacy systems would be formatted to fit the
single file format.
- The data extracted from the CIS will include a 12 month history of billed usage,
demand, and revenue.
-
There are several fields in the CIS that contain usage and revenue
amounts. There are raw reads that are multiplied by a factor based on the
meter type, plus there are usage and billing adjustments and other data
anomalies.
- Due to the nature of load allocation algorithms, these adjustments and
anomalies would have minimal effect on the results of an analysis.
- Using the billed amounts simplifies the extraction of the CIS data.
- The link between the CIS data and the GIS data is facilitated by the tag number
of the transformer that serves the customer.
-
UtiliCorp has an ongoing process of physically tagging a number on the
transformer, recording the tag number in each CIS customer record, and
recording the tag number on the distribution map.
- Eliminates the need to convert or add secondaries and services.
- Eliminates the need to graphically represent and connect each customer.
Data modeling considerations
The second step of the interface design was to identify data model changes.
Analysis Interface
The initial data model was designed with interfaces to analysis applications in mind.
However, during the course of the project, a new version of the analysis application
became available. The new version has enhanced functionality and increased data
requirements. Minor additions to several objects were implemented to account for the
discrepancies.
CIS Interface
To accommodate the data extracted from the CIS systems and relate it to existing
facilities, three objects were modified and several new objects were added to the data
model, see Figure 1. The ultimate requirement of the design is to allow connection of
the usage data to a transformer without requiring that customers be graphically placed
in the system. However, graphic placement of customers is allowed, if desired.
