Dynamic Enterprise Integration in the Energy and the Utility Industry
XML
XML, eXtensible Markup Language, is a key enabling integration standard for
current and evolving EAI and B2BAI platforms. XML is well known as a strategic
approach for exchanging self-describing information between applications and
businesses. The Geography Markup Language (GML) is a rapidly evolving
OpenGIS Consortium (OGC) standard for spatial data exchange and
interoperability. GML, according to OGC, is specifically an XML encoding for the
transport and storage of geographic information, including both the geometry and
properties of geographic features (OGC, 2001). Some of the spatial industry’s
leading vendors are implementing EAI interfaces to their spatial platforms that
leverage the GML standard. The importance is that this evolving standard will
enable the exchange and integration of spatial data across multiple and different
platforms that support unique spatial data models.
Utility Industry Trends
During 2001, Southern California Edison, Kansas City Power & Light, PacifiCorp,
Florida Power and Light, and Cinergy gave significant conference presentations
on their approaches to and experiences with dynamic enterprise integration. All
of these presentations were focused on a variety of electric and/or gas
distribution company applications, particularly in conjunction with energy deliveryrelated
IT initiatives. Others, including KCP&L, Cinergy, Rochester Gas and
Electric, have published aspects of their approaches to trading systems that
leverage a combination of EAI, B2BAI, and process integration-oriented B2BAI.
Utility industry-oriented trading and procurement exchanges also leverage EAI
and B2BAI strategies and platforms.
Many other utilities are pursuing prototype work to gain familiarity with enterprise
integration strategies and platforms. Enterprise integration is one of the more
common IT trends that utilities are investing in at this time. At the GITA 2002
meeting, we will present an up-to-date summary of utility industry status and
trends regarding dynamic enterprise integration strategies and programs that
have been undertaken across the energy and water utility industry. The purpose
of this summary will be to provide current industry-specific, dynamic enterprise
integration activity awareness.
Summary
Regardless of the slowing economy, the energy and water utility industries
continue to be faced with major cost control, new revenue opportunity, and
customer-focused business drivers. In response to these drivers, medium and
large utilities have been making significant investments in EAI and B2BAI.
Dynamic enterprise integration, incrementally achieving the digital energy or
water enterprise, and leveraging the benefits of a virtual utility business model
are the objectives of these investments. This paper and accompanying
presentation address the current status and future vision for dynamic enterprise
integration in the utility industry, why EAI and B2BAI platforms and standards are
today’s increasingly preferred approach to process-enabling systems integration,
and current status and future vision for utility enterprise and inter-enterprise
integration.
References
-
Linthicum, David S., 2000, Enterprise Application Integration, Addison-Wesley
Information Technology Series, 377 p.
-
Linthicum, David S., 2001, B2B Application Integration, Addison-Wesley
Information Technology Series, 408 p.
-
OpenGIS Consortium, 2001, Geography Markup Language (GML) v. 1.0.
