Ensuring That Spatial Data Can't Hide
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WHITE PAPER
Sponsored by: Microsoft
J i l l F e bl o wi t z
No v em ber 2 0 08
Ric k N ic h ols o n
ENERGY INSIGHTS OPINION
Aging transmission and distribution (T&D) assets and mandatory
reliability standards are pushing grid reliability to the forefront. The
aging workforce is causing a shortage of skilled labor and increasing
the need for automation. Climate change is creating a need for
connecting renewable resources to the grid and deploying demand
response programs. One option many utilities are considering to
address these factors is the intelligent grid. As the intelligent grid
moves forward, spatially enabling the intelligent grid is becoming
increasingly important. Two key reasons that utilities need this spatial
understanding are the distributed, yet connected nature of assets and
people associated with the grid and the fact that the intelligent grid will
require more personnel to have access to spatial information about the
grid, including customer care representatives, dispatch personnel,
managers, executives, and field crews. Not only will more personnel
need to view spatial information, but as less experienced people join
the workforce, they will need easier ways to visualize and think about
the grid. Given the spatial nature of the grid, spatially visualizing and
analyzing data can paint an even clearer picture of the grid and its
behavior. Additionally, an intelligent grid will need more accurate and
precise information about grid assets, including the location and
connectivity of devices, right down to the customer connection.
However, personnel often have difficulty accessing spatial information
because this information is siloed and spread throughout the company.
Spatially enabling the intelligent grid and the broader utility does not
mean that utilities must make substantial investments in new
technology. Rather, utilities often just need to begin to better leverage
their technologies. Examples include:
● Implementing enterprisewide spatial data quality and integration
capabilities and policies
● Embedding spatial capabilities into everyday sources of
information, which could include Web-based access, so that
management, executives, remote workers, and even customers can
readily access spatial information
● Providing field personnel with the ability to directly update and
correct spatial information
November 2008, Energy Insights #EI215043
IN THIS WHITE PAPER
This white paper looks at the value of spatial data and access to spatial
data in meeting the business needs of today's utility industry. In
particular, this white paper discusses:
● Key challenges facing utilities
● How the intelligent grid can help utilities overcome these
challenges
● The role spatial information plays in the intelligent grid
● Where utilities have fallen short in spatially enabling the intelligent
grid and other aspects of their organizations
● How utilities can improve access to their spatial data
● Recommendations for utilities on next steps in improving access to
spatial data
SITUATION OVERVIEW
Before talking about the importance of spatial data, we must consider
what spatial data is. Spatial data is simply data used to represent
points, lines, and areas on a surface. In most cases, the data relates to a
physical location or geography, which is particularly true for utility
companies. This type of spatial data is more specifically known as
geospatial data. This document uses the term "spatial" so as not to
limit the types of spatial data utilities need to provide access to, but in
most cases, utility companies will be using geospatial data.
Why It Is Important to Provide Access to
Spatial Information
To help readers better understand why spatial data and access to the
data is important, this section reviews key factors shaping the utility
industry and the role of the intelligent grid. The key factors discussed
in the following sections are shaping the utility industry and driving
the industry to more seriously consider the intelligent grid.
Increasing Capital Expenditure
With aging infrastructure and growing demand, utilities are increasing
their capital investment. According to data filed with the U.S. Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), utilities started to increase
capital expenditures for construction — across generation,
transmission, and distribution — in 2005, and that trend continued into
2007. More recently, Public Utilities Fortnightly editor in chief
Michael Burr stated that "The Fortnightly 40 companies spent more on
capex in 2007 than they earned from continuing operations. The utility
industry's big build officially has begun." Increasing capital
expenditure is also a strong driver outside the United States, especially
in the growing economies of the Asia/Pacific region.
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Climate Change
In terms of climate change, several U.S. states and regions already
have voluntary and mandatory carbon cap-and-trade programs in
place, and a national mandatory cap-and-trade program for greenhouse
gas emissions is expected to be enacted by the new administration. The
European Union is already operating a mandatory carbon cap-andtrade market. Renewable portfolio standards (RPSs) are also on the
books in many U.S. states, which would require increased use of
renewable generation sources such as wind, solar, biomass, and
geothermal.
Reliability and Security
As part of the EPAct 2005, the North American Electric Reliability
Corporation (NERC) became responsible for developing and enforcing
mandatory grid reliability standards. Fines of up to $1 million per event
per day are possible. In addition, state regulators are also imposing fines
for failures to meet reliability standards. Also included in the NERC
standards are the Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standards for
cybersecurity. Although these security standards are in effect, they are
already under criticism by a number of federal agencies.
For gas utilities in the United States, the recent Distribution Integrity
Management Program issued by the Department of Transportation
(DOT) is driving additional needs for spatial data. Indeed, in
interviews with multiple U.S. utility companies, when asked about
new initiatives requiring access to spatial information, all of those
utilities with gas distribution assets mentioned the new DOT
regulations.
One of the most recent policy and regulator developments relative to
reliability and security was the passage of the U.S. Energy
Independence and Security Act of 2007, which included a section
(Title XIII) on the smart grid. Although this legislation will help
improve the organization and coordination of intelligent grid efforts,
the bill lacks true incentives to push utilities and regulators forward
with large-scale intelligent grid deployments. Many other countries,
particularly in Europe, have enacted or are considering similar steps to
increase grid reliability and security.
Restructuring Rollback
As rate caps expire and some U.S. states roll back their restructuring
initiatives, some energy regulators are rethinking the regulatory model
to provide incentives for energy efficiency investments by
"decoupling" utility sales from profits. Traditional rate-of-return
regulation focuses on setting prices (i.e., rates). Consumption-based
rates by nature link sales to profits — the more energy a utility sells,
the more money it makes. By decoupling sales from profits, the
regulator tells the utility how much money it will be allowed to keep,
on average, for every customer it serves, thus removing the incentive
to increase sales.
©2008 Energy Insights, an IDC Company
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The Aging Workforce
The utility industry in most developed countries is facing an aging
workforce crisis, with many utilities expecting half their workforce to
retire in the next 5–10 years. Engineers and skilled technical and craft
labor pose the biggest problem because utilities depend on these
occupations to maintain a reliable system. This crisis raises issues
around both labor replacement and knowledge retention. Most utilities
want to hire fewer, but more productive replacement employees.
However, current employees have extensive knowledge of company
assets and processes, which they must transfer to both existing and
new employees to achieve desired productivity goals.
Intelligent Grid Can Help Utilities Deal
with These Factors
Aging T&D assets and mandatory reliability standards are pushing
grid reliability to the forefront. The aging workforce is causing a
shortage of skilled labor and increasing the need for automation.
Climate change is driving a need for connecting renewable resources
to the grid and deploying demand response programs. One option
many utilities are considering to address these factors is the intelligent
grid. As the intelligent grid moves forward, spatially enabling it is
becoming increasingly important. First, though, we need to define the
intelligent grid.
What Is an Intelligent Grid?
Many terms are floating around today, but they all describe the vision
of an electric T&D network that — through the use of information
technology — is "smart" enough to predict and adjust to network
changes. Therefore, an intelligent grid could recognize a potential
problem, such as an abnormal operating condition, and communicate
this problem to a decision maker (i.e., computer) that would
automatically work to correct the problem.
Since many utilities today do not have this enhanced visibility into their
distribution networks, accomplishing this vision requires that utilities
improve three basic technologies: communication networks, sensors,
and analytics (see Figure 1). For example, say a utility has an outage on
its distribution network. More network sensors — such as smart meters
— collecting information means that a utility can better pinpoint a
problem's location. Communication networks installed along the
distribution grid would enable these sensors to communicate this
problem to the utility. Improved analytics can efficiently process
information and automate responses to the problem — such as
dispatching the field crew closest to the area. These analytics
increasingly rely upon an accurate and complete network data model to
ensure the analytics provide decision makers with actionable
information.
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©2008 Energy Insights, an IDC Company
FIGURE 1
Basic Technologies for the Intelligent Grid
Improved
analytics
Better
communication
networks
More sensors
Source: Energy Insights, 2008
Why Spatially Enabling the Intelligent Grid Is Important
Utilities need to not only understand their grid but also build
intelligence about their grid in a spatial context. Two reasons that
utilities need this spatial understanding include the distributed, yet
connected nature of the grid and the types of decisions that utilities
will make as they gain more intelligence about the grid.
The electric grid is a network of distributed assets and personnel that
must connect and interact with one another. Looking at how these
groups spatially relate to one another provides a way for utilities to
understand their complex interactions. These components include:
● Distributed assets. To deliver electricity, each asset on the grid —
whether a transformer, meter, or substation component — must
cooperate with other assets throughout the system. Assets may be
miles away from one another, but because of their connection, a
problem with one asset can impact other assets upstream or
downstream from it. Therefore, it is important to understand not
only where a problem is occurring but also how that problem could
impact surrounding assets along the network (or "connectedness").
©2008 Energy Insights, an IDC Company
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● More intelligent grid assets. As the intelligent grid moves forward,
utilities will install even more assets on the grid. From smart meters
to distribution line sensors, these assets will not only provide more
detail about the grid's status but also require utilities to maintain and
better understand their location, connectivity, and condition. With
many utilities already piloting the deployment of intelligent grid
assets, geographic information system (GIS) managers interviewed
for this white paper mentioned the need to model new devices such
as smart meters and sensors, as well as the need to manage a "third
network" — the communication network supporting the intelligent
grid — as significant upcoming challenges.
● Distributed people. Along with distributed assets, utilities also
have distributed personnel working on these assets. So utilities
need to understand how personnel spatially relate to assets and
other field crews. Understanding these spatial relationships can
have important efficiency and safety implications for utilities. For
example, crews need to know that they are accessing the asset that
has been disconnected from power, and dispatch personnel need to
understand which qualified crew is closest to an emergency job.
Decision-Making Needs
Not only does the intelligent grid require utilities to install more assets,
but utilities also need to collect more data about distributed assets,
more efficiently analyze the data, and make better decisions based on
that analysis. Two types of proactive decisions are:
● Very quick decisions (VeQuiDs). These types of decisions are
made in milliseconds by computers and intelligent devices
analyzing complex, real-time data. Yet this intelligent grid vision
is still a ways off for most utilities — especially in terms of
widespread deployment.
● Quick decisions (QuiDs). Many proactive decisions about the grid
do not have to take place in milliseconds. Many utilities today can
make QuiDs or decisions to adjust to network changes in a time
frame of months, days, or minutes. Even though these decisions
are not extremely quick, they still enable utilities to predict and
correct network problems instead of just reacting when the grid
fails.
No matter how quick the decision, all of these predictive efforts are
based on the same thing: providing the decision maker with access to
good-quality data. Even though the goal of the intelligent grid is to
automate more decisions about the grid, people will still be the
primary decision makers for years to come. To make these decisions,
the intelligent grid will require more personnel to have access to
spatial information about the grid, including:
● Customer care representatives
● Dispatch personnel
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©2008 Energy Insights, an IDC Company
● Managers
● Executives
● Field crews
These personnel may not be "modifiers" of spatial data, but they will
be "viewers" of the information. When asked about the number of staff
with access to spatial data, utilities interviewed in support of this white
paper consistently replied that the number of users was expected to
increase from hundreds to thousands over the next few years.
Not only will more personnel need to view spatial information, but as
less experienced people join the workforce, they will need easier ways
to visualize and think about the grid. Given the spatial nature of the
grid, spatially visualizing and analyzing data can paint an even clearer
picture of the grid and its behavior.
Problems with Spatially Enabling the Intelligent Grid
Many technologies out there already help utilities understand the grid
spatially, particularly GIS. Yet, these technologies, as they stand
today, cannot support the spatial needs of an intelligent grid. Assets
along the grid are already connected, but the real problem with
spatially enabling the intelligent grid is connecting people and
technologies with the spatial information they need.
Traditionally, different solutions using spatial information reside in
different departments throughout a utility. For example, a utility may
have:
● A GIS department that collects and tracks geospatial information
for planning purposes
● An engineering group that uses network analysis and design tools
for making additions to the grid
● A maintenance department that collects and stores asset
information
● A dispatch group that uses a separate mapping and routing system
As a result of different technologies sitting in different silos, utilities
may already collect spatial information but just don't make it readily
available across the company (see Figure 2). With this lack of
connections, utilities cannot develop a rich picture of the grid and the
interactions between different components — whether assets or field
personnel. For example, vegetation inspections are often performed
with helicopter flyovers. A system that allows the inspector in the
helicopter to note problem vegetation anchored to a specific location
would make the deployment of work crews more efficient.
©2008 Energy Insights, an IDC Company
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FIGURE 2
A Siloed Approach Toward Spatial Information
Decision-makers have
access to different silos
of information
Systems operate
relatively independently
Decisionmaker
Decisionmaker
Decisionmaker
Decisionmaker
Decisionmaker
Geographic
information
system
Network
analysis
and design
Outage
management
system
Enterprise
asset
management
Work
management
Data manually entered into different systems
Indirect input of
information into systems
Field crews
6
Source: Energy Insights, 2008
Distributing Spatial Information
Throughout the Utility
Given these challenges, spatially enabling the intelligent grid and the
broader utility does not mean that utilities must make substantial
investments in new technology. Rather, utilities often just need to
begin to better leverage existing technologies and personnel along with
improving their decision-making processes.
Realigning Spatial Technologies and Applications
Spatial technologies such as GIS and network analysis and design
programs, along with work and asset management programs, already
have a layer of spatial information. To begin spatially enabling the
intelligent grid, utilities need to realign this spatial information to
provide a solid foundation of spatial data that personnel can access
throughout the company and on different systems. Utilities need to
develop ways to begin connecting these systems and share spatial data
across the company. For example:
● Organizing spatial information in a way that enables utilities to
provide access to consistent spatial information throughout the
company and the ability to combine the data with other types of
business information
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©2008 Energy Insights, an IDC Company
● Embedding spatial capabilities into everyday sources of
information, which could include Web-based access, so that
management, executives, remote workers, and even customers can
readily access spatial information
● Providing personnel — particularly mobile field crews — with the
ability to directly update and correct spatial information
Vendor Efforts in This Space
Given the rapidly changing spatial needs of the utility industry, many
vendors are adjusting their offerings to help utilities realign their
spatial capabilities. Many vendors in the geospatial arena, such as
Autodesk, are working on developing more utility-specific
applications. Still, many vendors are also focusing on taking spatial
information and capabilities outside of the GIS or engineering
department to the enterprise. Although some GIS vendors offer
proprietary access to data, others are experimenting with open access
to data to enable many different applications to benefit from spatial
information. Database vendors such as Microsoft are providing more
universal access to spatial information.
Getting geospatial data into the hands of all sorts of employees at a
utility does have some benefits. For example, one telecommunication
company is involved in a reengineering project, replacing 4,500
separate GIS workstations with one online GIS system. Engineers
doing network design and rights of way will have access to this
system, along with maintenance engineers, call centers, and
dispatchers. Altogether close to 50,000 employees will have the same
view of and access to spatial data. Significant cost savings derive from
providing information to 50,000 employees that previously was
available to only 4,500. This will be especially attractive for greenfield
installations where an asset can be tracked from design to operation to
retirement all on the basis of geographic coordinates. The key to
democratizing spatial data is to provide open access to that
information. One example of vendors working to build better access to
spatial information is the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and Autodesk
integration.
Sp at i a l Ca pab il iti e s Ad d ed to M ic ro soft SQL Se rv er 20 0 8
Previous versions of SQL Server (2005 or earlier) did not explicitly
support geospatial information. However, SQL Server 2008 can now
store spatial information. This provides utilities with two key
capabilities:
● By storing spatial data in relational tables, SQL Server 2008
enables utility personnel to more readily combine spatial data with
other kinds of business data.
● Storing spatial data in one location enables utilities to integrate
geospatial information into a variety of applications.
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M icro so f t S Q L S e rv e r 2 0 08 / Au t od es k Int eg ra t io n
Autodesk is working with Microsoft to leverage the spatial capabilities
of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 to break down the organization silos
containing geospatial data, to enhance understanding of the grid, and
to provide more people with access to information about the grid.
Autodesk Feature Data Objects (FDO) Data Access Technology,
which supports interoperability between Autodesk geospatial products
and many other IT systems, now includes an FDO-based open source
driver that enables SQL Server to work with key Autodesk products,
including (see Figure 3):
● Autodesk MapGuide® Enterprise, which can deliver spatial data
over the Web and via mashups with Microsoft Virtual Earth to
reach consumers and personnel throughout the utility
● AutoCAD® Map 3D, which enables CAD and GIS users to work
from one source of current, accurate spatial information
FIGURE 3
Autodesk and Microsoft Technology Stack
Browser
Keyhole Mark-up Language
Geospatial
Distribution
Microsoft Virtual Earth
Tools
Publishing
Autodesk MapGuide®
Studio
Application
AutoCAD® Map 3D
Application/
Application Server
Feature Data Object
API
Autodesk MapGuide® Enterprise
Feature Data Object
API
Database
Transactions
Microsoft SQL Server
Source: Energy Insights, 2008
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The strength of the Autodesk and Microsoft offering is that SQL
Server 2008 provides the ability to carry explicit coordinates as a data
type. Once the coordinates are in the database, they can be accessed
throughout the utility, just through an SQL call. The FDO feature of
Autodesk provides an abstraction layer that lets spatial data from SQL
Server 2008 and multiple other spatial data sources work consistently
within Autodesk. FDO is developed by Autodesk, but it is freely
available to developers and solution providers as an open source data
access technology. This makes integration simpler and also creates a
"system of record" for the asset so that asset managers, maintenance
managers, field staff, customer service representatives (CSRs), and
others can all use the same coordinates. This type of arrangement also
reduces licensing costs.
FUTURE OUTLOOK
As the intelligent grid moves forward and utilities introduce more
devices and complex power flows on the grid, utilities will need better
access to information to make decisions about an increasingly complex
set of distributed assets. In terms of spatial information, utilities will
increasingly turn to spatial information as a way to better understand
complex grid interactions. More utility personnel will likely demand
access to spatial information as they become more familiar with the
value of spatial information through interactions with other consumerbased services from vendors such as Microsoft and others.
As a result of this increased demand for spatial information and
familiarity with Web-based applications, utilities will likely look
toward Web-based applications and portals as a way to access spatial
information and break down the geospatial silos. This will mean a
greater opportunity for mashups, where utilities can combine various
types of information — such as asset location and real-time weather —
and view the information in a Web-based application such as
Microsoft Virtual Earth.
CONCLUSION
As utilities focus more on understanding the grid and more people
need access to information about the grid, access to spatial information
will continue to become increasingly important. Utilities will need to
consider ways they can better distribute spatial information to their
personnel and automated systems so that both can make better
decisions about the grid.
All of these efforts are important for spatially enabling the intelligent
grid, but since people are involved in the success of these efforts,
utilities need to ensure that people will use these technologies. Utilities
need to develop business processes that encourage people to look at
spatial information when making decisions about the grid. Beyond just
business process change, although maps and other spatial displays are
inherently more intuitive, utilities also must ensure that personnel are
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comfortable with seeing spatial information and understand the
elements that make up a map through software interfaces that are
familiar and easy to use.
Building stronger connections between spatial information sources not
only will allow for better decisions today but also will provide better
access for more advanced analytics in the future, enabling the
intelligent grid of the future.
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