Increasingly, electric utilities are implementing leading-edge Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADMS) to satisfy regulatory requirements and fulfill customer expectations. The ADMS platform supports the evolving landscape of energy consumption and consumer technologies, and its functions are key to addressing microgrids, electric vehicles, demand response, and sustainability. Electric distribution operators are improving system reliability, safety, and managing outage restorations more efficiently with ADMS. Situational awareness is enhanced with real-time knowledge of power system conditions and current system information can be provided to internal and external stakeholders using ADMS.
The Importance of Good GIS Data
Modern ADMS products support multiple applications internally and are typically integrated with numerous other utility enterprise applications. Each of these applications will have specific data requirements. Providing quality data to support each ADMS application and integration is essential to optimizing operations and in many cases is required for the application(s) to operate at all.
Representation of an ADMS platform and its related applications and integrations. Image courtesy of OSI, an AspenTech Business.
For utilities exploring ADMS implementation, a key consideration should be the quality of the organization’s source data, including the GIS. Quality data is critical for the Distribution Management System (DMS) advanced applications to provide meaningful and actionable results.
Many ADMS applications related to outage management are supported by the utility’s GIS. Therefore, the GIS should be updated with some considerations in mind including, connectivity in the GIS network and populated required attributes, such as phasing and voltage.
One outage management application included with many ADMS products is Fault Location Isolation and Service Restoration (FLISR). If the FLISR application is implemented, FLISR can identify the likely fault location. To do so, the application requires additional information from the GIS. For example, switches may need to include information such as their amperage rating and whether they are load break capable or bidirectional. In addition, with customer information related to GIS service points, customers who have reported no power can also be identified on the map.
Typical GIS Data Requirements for ADMS
Traditionally, the Outage Management System (OMS) is implemented first as the source data requirements are less. When implementing advanced DMS applications and integrations, additional data is required based on the application to be implemented. Typical GIS data requirements for an OMS/ADMS include the following:
1. Good, connected network data
- Consistent voltage and phasing between conductors and devices
- Upstream/downstream identified for circuits (sources/sinks identified)
2. Normal status of switchable devices is populated and correctly set including Normal Open features
3. Required attributes are correctly populated, including:
- Phasing
- Voltage
- Feeder ID (possible Feeder ID2)
4. GIS network business rules are implemented for:
- Transitions between high voltage, medium voltage, and low voltage networks
- Phasing connections
- Consistent voltage
Interfaces also have their own GIS data requirements. For example, when integrating with a Customer Information System (CIS), customer information will need to be related to a spatial feature in the GIS, typically the Service Point feature by account number or some other unique identifier. This relationship will allow operators to identify the customer location in the ADMS and identify the probable outage device during an outage event.
GIS as the Digital Twin
There have been considerable discussions around digital twins within our industry. For electric utilities, the digital twin can be the utility’s GIS, a digital representation of a utility’s physical assets. Electric devices and conductors in the field need to be connected correctly, including phasing and voltage. So too, the GIS digital twin must be connected correctly to provide accurate data to dependent downstream applications, including the ADMS.
The GIS database should be the central repository or System of Record (SOR) for the utility’s as-built asset information. Downstream applications, such as ADMS, will need to consume the latest GIS data to provide accurate results. A process or processes will need to be developed or a product implemented to allow the ADMS to be updated on a scheduled basis as well as an ad-hoc basis when critical GIS updates are required by the ADMS.
An important concern for electric distribution operators is minimizing the latency of the network model updates. Depending on the scope or importance of the GIS updates, the ADMS network model may need to be updated in an expedited ad-hoc process. When network model updates are needed during normal work hours, ADMS operators and GIS editors may need to pause their work while the model updates.
Meeting Your ADMS Goals
Helping to meet your organization’s ADMS goals, a GIS data readiness assessment should be executed prior to the implementation of the ADMS. The assessment will help determine if the source data is of sufficient quality to support the ADMS. If it is determined that the data quality or completeness is lacking, then the data issues can be addressed, and the data updated prior to full ADMS implementation to support improved operation and advanced management capabilities.
Utilities making the investment in ADMS while also investing in a sound data governance strategy that ensures GIS data quality will experience greater ROI.
About UDC
UDC partners with utility and infrastructure companies to solve their business challenges by providing full lifecycle project and program support. Connect with Ron Yoshimura to talk about your utility’s ADMS readiness and UDC’s GIS data governance support and data assessment services.