Resource
Monitoring
System
2003
SBIR GRANT
PROPOSAL
SOLICITATION NO. DOE/SC-0059
DOE
USE
- 03 - I
ONLY
APENDIX A. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY COVER PAGE FOR
SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) AND
SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAMS
NOTICE FOR HANDLING GRANT APPLICATIONS. This submission is to be used only for DOE evaluation purposes. All government and non-Government personnel handling this submission
shall exercise extreme care to ensure that the information contained herein is not duplicated, used, or disclosed in whole or in part for any purpose other than to evaluate the submission, without the
written permission of the offeror (except that if a grant is awarded on the basis of this submission, the terms of the grant shall control disclosure and use). This is a Government notice, and shall not
by itself be construed to impose any liability upon the Government or Government personnel for any disclosure or use of data contained in this submission.
PROJECT
TITLE: Resource Monitoring System
SMALL BUSINESS
FIRM NAME:
Resource Monitoring Systems (RMS)
I.R.S Entity Identification
or SSN:
Principal Investigator (See Requirements in Sec. 1.5.2)
Indicate Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr.
Mrs. Janet Brunelle
(757)683-4900
Title:
Phone Number:
E:mail address: brunelle@cs.odu.edu
Topic No. (1-47):
Subtopic (a-d):
Amount Requested (not
to exceed $100,000):
$99,998
ADDRESS:
Old Dominion University, Computer Science Department
Hampton Blvd.
CITY:
Norfolk
STATE: VA
ZIP: 23529
Web Address: http://www.cs.odu.edu
Corporate/Business Authorized Representatives
Indicate Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr.
Title:
E:mail address:
Phone Number:
Certification and Acceptance: I certify that the statements herein are true and complete to the best of my knowledge, and accept the obligation to comply with DOE terms and conditions if an
award is made as the result of this submission. A willfully false certification is a criminal offense. (U.S. Code, Title 18, Section 1001)
Signature:
Date:
RESEARCH INSTITUTION
Check YES or NO: This grant application contains substantial
collaboration with a research institution (see definition Sec. 2.9 and Sec.
1.5.3).
X
YES
NO
Check one: Please consider this application in the following program(s):
X
SBIR only.
STTR only.
both SBIR and STTR.
Signature:
Date:
NAME OF RESEARCH INSTITUTION:
$___________________
Old Dominion University
Amount of Subcontract
ADDRESS:
Computer Science Department, Hampton Blvd.
CITY:
Norfolk
STATE: VA
ZIP:23529
Certifying Official:
Indicate Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr.
Mrs. Janet Brunelle
Title:
Phone Number:(757)683-4900
E:mail address: brunelle@cs.odu.edu
Certification: If this grant application is selected for award, I certify that the above research
institution will conduct the work herin attributed to it.
Signature:
OTHER SUBCONTRACTORS: INDICATE NAME AND DOLLAR AMOUNT
Date:
CERTIFICATIONS AND QUESTIONS: ANSWER Y (YES) OR N (NO)
Y
1. The above applicant organization certifies that it is a small
business and meets the definition stated in Section 2.3.
Y
2. The applicant small business will comply with the provisions
regarding: (1) lobbying, (2) debarment, suspension, and other
responsibility matters, and (3) drug-free workplace requirements.
(See Certifications Section.) Inability to certify to any or all
statements requires explanation.
Y
N
N
3. The Principal Investigator will have his/her primary employment
with the small business at the time of award (see Section 1.5.2).
4. Does this application include a subcontract with a Federal lab
(see Section 1.6.2)?
N
6. Has the firm and/or Principal Investigator submitted proposals
containing a significant amount of essentially equivalent work
under other federal program solicitations, or received other
federal awards containing a significant amount of essentially
equivalent work? If "yes", the application must include the
required information requested in Section 3.3.4.
N
7. Is the small business delinquent on any Federal debt? (If "yes,"
please attach an explanation.)
N
8. If the proposed project does not result in an award, does the
applicant permit the government to disclose the technical abstract
of the application, and the name, address, and telephone of the
business official to any inquiring parties?
5. The applicant small business has provided the necessary
information requested in Section 3.3.7 if it has received more
than 15 Phase II SBIR awards in the preceding five fiscal years.
PROPRIETARY NOTICE (SECTION 5.4) For any purpose other than to evaluate this submission, these data shall not be disclosed outside the Government and shall not be duplicated, used, or
disclosed in whole or in part, provided that if a grant is awarded to this applicant as a result of or in connection with the submission of these data. The Government shall have the right to duplicate, use,
or disclose the data to the extent provided in the grant. This restriction does not limit the Government's right to use information contained in the data if it is obtained from another source without
restriction. The data in this submission subject to this restriction are contained on pages _______________________________________________________________________________________
2
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH PROGRAM
SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PROGRAM
SOLICITATION NO. DOE/SC-0059
PROJECT SUMMARY
Phase I
Topic No. (1-47):____
APPENDIX B
DOE
USE
ONLY
- 03 -I
Subtopic (a-d):____
(All information provided on this page is subject to release to the public.)
FIRM NAME: Resource Monitoring System
RESEARCH INSTITUTION: Old Dominion University
ADDRESS:
Old Dominion University
College of Sciences
Department of Computer Science
Norfolk VA 23529
ADDRESS:
Old Dominion University
College of Sciences
Department of Computer Science
Norfolk VA 23529
NAME of PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: ______Mrs. Janet Brunelle__________________
PHONE NUMBER: __(757) 683-4900_____________________
PROJECT TITLE: _____Resource Monitoring System_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit to space provided)
Statement of the problem or situation that is being addressed - typically, one to three sentences.
Increasing demand, wasteful usage, and finite resources lead to energy and natural resource shortages. The United States will soon reach a point where it consumes
more electricity that it can produce.
General statement of how this problem is being addressed. This is the overall objective of the combined Phase I and Phase II projects - typically, one to two
sentences.
The purpose of the Resource Monitoring System is to provide the consumer with a means of monitoring, analyzing, and understanding their electrical utility
consumption data in order to use energy resources more efficiently and responsibly. RMS will educate the consumer about their electrical usage habits and provide
useful information and tips on how to decrease the amount of electricity used in order to conserve valuable non-renewable energy resources.
What is planned for the Phase I project (typically, two to three sentences).
The development of a prototype system that will be used to illustrate the RMS design’s viability and provide a means to correct, refine, or enhance its functionality
to the clients and serve as a model for the final product. The prototype will be built using readily available and inexpensive computer and network equipment to
simulate the automated meter reading systems and develop a customer database and user interface that would allow a client to view and analyze their electrical
utility consumption.
COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS AND OTHER BENEFITS as described by the applicant. (Limit to space provided).
1. Utility companies such as electrical providers can use the RMS system to educate their customers to use power wisely and avoid over usage which
would cause them to procure additional electricity at much higher prices or resort to blackouts if they cannot cope with the increased demand.
2. Business and Institutions could use the RMS system to analyze their energy budget in greater detail and find ways to save money.
3. The individual consumers can learn about their usage habits in greater detail and determine ways to use electricity more efficiently in order to save
money and resources.
SUMMARY FOR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS: (LAYMAN'S TERMS, TWO SENTENCES MAX.)
RMS is a computerized system that allows you to monitor your utility usage on an hourly, daily, or monthly basis in great detail. It allows you to understand your
usage habits and hopefully assist you in making wise decisions so that you can use utilities wisely.
3
2.0 RMS ABSTRACT
Increased energy and water usage and a limited natural supply require a responsible
society to utilize these valuable non-renewable resources as efficiently as possible. The
current conventional methods of measuring and reporting usage by utility companies is
insufficient in providing consumers (both residential and commercial) with a timely and
convenient means of monitoring and analyzing, their consumption data in order to
economically use these valuable resources. Resource demand is increasing steadily
throughout the world. The use of our resources is reaching a level where in about 10 to 20
years we will consume more resources than we can afford to produce or import. A strong
case in point can be made for electricity. The Department of Energy (DOE) contends that
total U.S. electricity demand is projected to grow by 1.9 percent per year from 2001
through 2020. The DOE also projects that U.S. electricity production will start lag
consumption around 2008 and continually get worse, leading to shortfalls past 2020.
The Resource Monitoring System (RMS) is a cost-effective, web-based utility monitoring
system that is adaptable to a wide variety of customers ranging from individual
homeowners to large corporations and institutional facilities. It will educate businesses
and homeowners on their resource usage patterns, it will inform the consumer of peak
demand times and government imposed restrictions, it will provide an intuitive user
interface, and it will format the data in a way that is useful to the consumer. In order to
minimize costs, RMS will work with existing commercial off-the shelf automated meter
hardware. The initial market for RMS will be electrical utility companies since there is
great urgency for more efficient usage and a large network of automated electrical meters
already is in place. RMS will receive consumer electrical usage data from utility
companies, who will initially collect this data from their wireless meter network. The
usage information will be stored onto a network of database servers and made available
for analysis to end-users via an Internet web application.
Features of the RMS end-user application will be the monitoring electricity consumption
and water, natural gas, and oil consumption in the future as the system expands to other
utilities. RMS will display current resource use, analyzes consumption data and displays
it in graphical format, provide penalty notifications, provide peak-demand notifications,
and contain a utility budgeting tool. In the future, RMS will also have water/gas leak
detection and online bill payment. With its initial introduction into the electrical utility
market, it is hoped that RMS will inform, educate, and persuade consumers to cut down
usage by at least 6% and prevent an energy shortage crisis in the near future.
4
RMS RESEARCH GRANT TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTIONS
1.0
1.1
1.2
2.0
3.0
3.0.1
3.0.2
3.0.2.1
3.0.2.2
3.0.2.3
3.0.2.4
3.0.3
3.0.4
3.0.4.1
3.0.4.2
3.0.4.3
4.0
4.0.1
4.0.1.1
4.0.1.2
5.0
5.0.1
5.0.1.1
5.0.1.2
5.0.1.3
5.0.1.4
5.0.2
5.0.2.1
5.0.2.2
5.0.2.3
5.0.2.4
6.0
6.1
6.2
6.2.1
6.2.2
7.0
7.0.1
7.0.2
7.0.3
7.0.4
8.0
9.0
10.0
10.1
10.2
11.0
11.1
11.2
11.3
11.4
11.5
12.0
SBIR Documents
Cover Page - Appendix A
Project Summary Page - Appendix B
Abstract
Significance and Background Information
Significance
Background
Current Electrical Usage and Economy
Current Meter Reading Methods
Business Operation Costs
Public Awareness
Proposed Solution
Anticipated Public Benefits
Public Benefits
Business Benefits
Government/Electrical Company Benefits
Phase I – Proof of Concept
Technical Approach
Characteristics of the Solution
Proving Feasibility
Work Plan: Phase I – Proof of Concept
System’s Major Task
Task 1: Meter Reading
Task 2: Transfer of data to our Database
Task 3: How the Data will be Presented
Task 4: User Benefits
RMS Prototype
Electrical Meter
Cell Control Unit
Dedicated Connection
Database
Work Plan: Phase II – Functional Prototype and Development
Anticipated Phase I Results
Significance of Phase I to Phase II
RMS Coming Together
User View of RMS
Work Plan: Project Implementation Plan
Phase 0
Phase I
Phase II
Phase III
Principal Investigator and Key Personal
Facilities/Equipment
Contractual Aspects
Subcontractors and Consultants
Contractual terms with Utility Companies and their Customers
Budget
Detailed Phase I Budget
Detailed Phase II Budget
Detailed Phase III Budget
Overall Budget for Phase I, II, and III
Out Years Budget
DOE Forms
PAGE
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3
4
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7
7
7
8
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9
9
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12
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14
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16
16
17
18
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20
22
24
25
26
26
26
28
29
29
30
31
32
33
34
5
SECTIONS
12.1
12.2
12.3
13.0
13.1
13.2
13.3
13.4
13.5
13.6
13.7
13.8
13.9
14.0
Grant Application Budget - Appendix C
Application Checklist - Appendix D
Worksheet
Appendices
Management Plan
Evaluation Plan
Software Plan
Marketing Plan
Gantt Chart
Technical Objectives
Risk Management Plan
References
Component Diagram
Survey Results and Analysis
PAGE
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39
40
40
42
42
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47
50
51
52
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56
6
3.0 Significance and Background Information, and Technical Approach
3.0.1 Significance:
Resource demand is increasing throughout the world. The use of resources is on
its way up to a level where] in about 10 to 20 years we will consume more resources than
we can afford to make or import. Our society is drawn towards the use of more
technological tools, gadgets, ranging from electronic drink machines to electric cars. As
a society, we have become a lot more dependant on technology. There are more machines
and gadgets that are being introduced in market today than ever before, and they all use a
great amount of electricity and other resources. The question rises, are we able to keep up
with the energy that is being used by these devices and gadgets? Increased production of
electricity is not the answer here due to the earth’s very limited natural resources. Even
though new technologies are being introduced to maximize the output of these resources,
we still cannot produce enough to meet our rising demands. Americans use more
electricity energy than any other country in the world. Overall, 42% of the electricity
consumed is being wasted due to inefficient use. Graph below shows the total
consumption in America and highlighted covered black area is the over waste of
electricity.
3.0.2 Background:
Despite the great advances in production our resources in recent decades, we still
cannot meet the public and business demand. Surveys show that we are running out of
resources and a recent example of this serious problem was demonstrated just few years
ago in California where electrical demand exceeded production and the whole state of
California went through series of rolling black outs. This type of problem still exists in
almost every state, and data shows that if we keep using electricity and other resources at
our current rate, it would not be long before the entire country may have to suffer through
a similar power shortage crisis.
3.0.2.1 Current Electrical Usage and Economy: With our current growing economy, and
a hunger for technical devices to make our lives easier, electric demand seems to be
7
going out of control. As we can see through the graphs given below it is not far till we
actually suffer from the shortage of electricity.
The Graphs above show how the energy use per capita is increasing, and statistics have
shown that by 2008, our demand for electricity will exceed production.
This is not only dangerous for our natural resources, but also for our overall
economy. During the summer of 2000, the state of California suffered an energy crisis
that almost pushed it into recession. On June 14, 2000, businesses in the Silicon Valley
suffered losses ranging from millions dollars per hour to millions of dollars per minute
due to the blackouts. Over 100, 000 workers were unable to do their jobs and were sent
home.
The immediate financial losses for Silicon Valley alone, from these blackouts,
were estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Once effects like employee
downtime, lost product and data, and the expense of retooling equipment are considered,
one can see that it was absolutely devastating for an already fragile, technology driven
economy.
3.0.2.2 Current Meter Reading Methods: Currently, between 5 and 10 percent of
electrical bills are estimated due to the fact that meter readers can’t get to every single
meter in time to perform the read. Additionally, most users are not even sure of exactly
how much they are consuming for a period of about three months because electrical
utility companies are unable to afford labor to check meters every single month. When
actual meter reading is being done, the user is notified and bill is adjusted appropriately.
In order to reduce labor cost and to get public usage as accurately as possible, electrical
companies are seeking to put in new digital, automated meters, which are able to send
data and meter reads through wireless media back to the power companies. In this way,
electric companies can monitor and evaluate the usage pattern very accurately and can
keep the electrical supply consistent.
3.0.2.3 Business Operation Cost: Business operational costs are greatly affected due to
increases in electricity rates. Rising resource costs for companies to spend more than ever
before. Unfortunately the rising utility costs are pushing some small businesses out of the
market. Big businesses are turning to companies that offer electrical saving solutions in
order to reduce their expenses. Studies done in power companies have shown that energy
8
savings of 15% or more occur when people have information that allows them to make
informed decisions on how and when to use power.
Businesses are moving toward the service companies that can save them money, such as
WebGen, which promises to save business money by just providing them the real usage
data and predicting the shortage time. This way, businesses can plan their tasks around
that time of the electric or utility shortage or outage. Large corporations, such as Bank of
America, are currently using the services of WebGen, and are actually saving 15 percent
on their utility bills.
3.0.2.4 Public Awareness: More energy production is not a sufficient option to deal with
the problem. Public awareness can be a solution, but people are not able to analyze their
use accurately until after a three month period. With the installation of new digital
automated meters, electric companies and big businesses can use real time data to limit
their use of electric and other utilities in order to reduce their costs up to 15 percent. This
technology should be used in homes, since they account for almost half of the overall
electricity used in the country.
3.0.3 Proposed Solution
Providing real time usage information to educate and inform the public, institutions, and
corporations on their consumption habits could reduce the waste and save around 15
percent on their power bills. More and more electrical companies are adopting the use of
electrical meters due business cost reduction and to provide better and more interactive
service to their consumers. For example, electric companies, such as in State of
California, want the public to save money and save electricity, because there is a limit to
how much electricity can be produced by their suppliers. More than 15 percent reduction
has been shown by several large corporations that have partnered with companies
offering similar systems that provide real-time data in order for businesses to make
intelligent decisions on ways to save money on electrical utilities.
The Major functional diagram
illustrated here shows how the
actual real time data is currently
being transferred to electrical
companies from automated meters
over a wireless network. Data will
then be transferred to the RMS
database from where the public
would be able to access the
information about their electricity
use from a web-based application. A
user then would be able to make
appropriate decisions on their usage
and take steps to reduce their waste.
If groups such as WebGen are already providing this similar information to businesses
and it has been proven that it can reduce the cost of a business by up to 15 percent, then
making this data available to the public can significantly reduce our electricity waste.
9
Add to that the resource usage information of water, gas, and oil and one can clearly see
the benefits of RMS.
3.0.4 Anticipated Public Benefits
It’s not really a secret for anyone to know that saving energy such as electricity is good
not only our environment, but also for our overall economy. The mission statement of
almost every electrical company focuses a lot on the public satisfaction, which can only
be achieved by saving people money while providing them a great service. As shown for
industry through similar services, small businesses and homeowners can now also reduce
their use of electricity up to 15 percent, if they can minimize their waste of electricity. All
it takes is awareness, knowledge, and use the proper us of electricity. This knowledge and
information can be provided if the real time data, as used by power companies, can also
be provided to businesses and residential users. Saving up to 15 percent on their
electricity bills would not only make consumers happy, but also help in economic growth
and eliminate the possible power shortage of the future.
3.0.4.5.1 Public Benefits: Home owners could save up to 15 percent on their bills only if
they are able to eliminate waste by observing the real time data and making proper
adjustments to usage.
3.0.4.5.2 Business Benefits: Real-time data will help businesses reduce their utility
expenses, give them ability to make wise decisions based on the usage of resources, and
provide them with the ability to monitor their efficiency.
3.0.4.5.3 Government / Electric Company Benefits: Reduction in consumption would
benefit the government by reducing reliance on energy imports.
4.0 Phase I – Proof of Concept
4.0.1 Technical Approach:
We have to solve the problem of public awareness and knowledge of how much
of our resources are being used, and the limits of what can be used in order for society to
take the appropriate steps to reduce waste. Consumer knowledge and awareness is the
key to solving this problem because, as of today, the majority of people are unable to
track and monitor their resources in a timely or convenient manner. The purpose of the
initial phase of the Resource Monitoring System is to provide the consumer with a means
of monitoring, analyzing, and understanding their electrical utility consumption data in
order to use energy resources more efficiently and responsibly.
RMS will educate the consumer about their electrical usage habits and provide useful
information and tips on how to decrease the amount of electricity used in order to
conserve valuable non-renewable energy resources. In order for RMS to succeed, it must
provide the following solutions:
4.0.1.1 Characteristics of the Solution:
10







Be on the market before the crisis point is reached when domestic electrical demand
exceeds the available supply (Our projection is the year 2008).
Be adaptable and able to monitor other utilities in the future such as water, oil, and
natural gas before their respective crisis points are reached.
Be marketed towards electrical utility companies, businesses, institutional facilities,
and home owners
Be marketable to other utility companies such as water, gas, and oil providers in the
future
Be a quality, reliable product and service at an affordable price
Have an intuitive user interface and provide easy to read reports
Provide the information, education, and impetus needed to encourage consumers to
cut their electrical usage by at least 6% to avert a major power shortage crisis in the
not too distant future
Energy Use and Production through 2020
1200
Electricity GW
1100
1000
900
800
700
20
20
20
18
20
16
20
14
20
12
20
10
20
08
20
06
20
04
20
02
20
00
600
Year
Produce
Use
6% Reduction
Total electricity demand is projected to grow by 1.9 percent per year from 2001 through
2020 – Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy
4.0.1.2 Proving Feasibility: This project is well within scope of current technology, it
addresses an urgent power shortage problem in the not to distant future, and it should not
be cost prohibitive that would exclude it from being adopted by the average home or
business owner. Furthermore:
 The number of utility providers adopting the use of automated electrical meters for
home and businesses is steadily growing.
 Businesses have an interest in reducing their operational costs, as illustrated by the
WebGen example mentioned earlier and have a vested interest in having a dependable
source of electricity as shown in the California example.
 Our survey data indicates that residential users would support the idea if we were able
to provide them with good energy saving tips and data so they can control their usage
and reduce their waste.
 This project relies on existing, commercially available off-the-shelf equipment that is
readily available from a wide variety of sources
11
5.0 Work Plan: Phase I – Proof of Concept
In order for RMS to reach its objective, the following must be accomplished for Phase I:
 Research, develop, build, and test a working prototype that demonstrates the technical
feasibility of the RMS system
 Create and test a database system to store electrical usage data and customer
information records
 Create an application to simulate electrical AMR meter data
 Create an application to read and analyze the data
 Create a web-based application server
 Develop a user interactive RMS website
5.0.1 System’s Major Tasks
5.0.1.1 Task 1: Meter Reading:
Electrical companies such as Niagara Mohawk, Baltimore Gas & Electric, and Nashville
Electric are installing digital meters. Reading the meter is done by automated electrical
meters through a wireless network in which the usage data goes into the database of
electric company. We can use this same data to show the utility customer their usage.
5.0.1.2 Task 2: Transfer of Data to our Database:
Electrical company databases will be updated along with RMS databases. Data transfer
will be done using maximum security, providing customers with confidentiality of their
data.
5.0.1.3 Task 3 : How the data will be presented to users:
User will see their usage in graphical and in data forms they access over a secure link
over the Internet. Customers can set their limit of how much electricity is to be used
every month. RMS will notify the user if they show a usage trend to exceed the self
imposed limit, or a possible mandated limit, depending on the severity of an electrical
shortage.
5.0.1.1 Task 4: User benefits:
By seeing graphical and data information of the usage, user will be able to make a
decision of what type of appliance to buy. What improvement to do the house or business
to make the usage better. Setting up limits of usage will help users determine their daily
consumption.
5.0.2 RMS Prototype:
The RMS prototype will be used to illustrate the design’s viability and provide a means
to correct, refine, or enhance its functionality to the clients and serve as a model for the
final product. One of the main focuses for the prototype will be to minimize costs and
resources by using readily available and inexpensive computer and network equipment to
simulate the costly AMR meter and devices. Once the prototype and the simulation
testing program has been successfully completed the RMS project will proceed to Phase
12
II, the development, creation, production, and deployment of the commercial version
once financial resources and support have been secured.
In order to minimize cost and save valuable development time, several of the more
expensive items will be substituted with cheaper alternatives that can simulate the
functionality of each component.
5.0.2.1 Electrical Meter: The AMR electrical meter can cost around $500/per unit to
install and may be unavailable in the local Hampton Roads Area. This critical
component will be modeled with an off-the shelf 802.11b wireless network interface card
that can be found in an office technology store for around $30 to $80. The wireless NIC
will be installed on a personal computer running a Java or C++ program that will
simulate an AMR meter by continuously generating electrical consumption data and
transmitting this information via a wireless network to a receiving Cell Control Unit.
Examples of Inexpensive 802.111b Wireless NIC
D-Link DWL-520+ PCI
NIC
Linksys WMP11 PCI NIC
5.0.2.2 Cell Control Unit: The Cell Control Unit receives consumption information from
the AMR meter and relays over a network where it can be stored onto the RMS database.
An actual Cell Control Unit Tower ranges from $10,000 to $250,000 and take several
months to construct, not including the various permits and licenses required from local
government and the FCC. The Cell Control Unit will be modeled with an 802.11b
wireless network access point/router that again can be found in an office technology store
for around $80 to $250.
Examples of Inexpensive 802.111b Wireless Access Points with built-in routers
D-Link DI-614+ Access
Point with 4-Port Router
Linksys WRT54G Access
Point with 4-Port router
5.0.2.3 Dedicated Connection: Another potentially expensive component for the RMS
system is the T3 internet connection required to receive metering data from a power
utility company and serve thousands of web requests from the end customers. A T3
13
connection can cost up to $15,000 per month to lease, which makes it cost prohibitive for
the purposes of this prototype. An inexpensive 10/100 base-T Ethernet multi-port switch
costing around $40 to $60 and a network of CAT5 cable from an office technology
supplier will suffice as our internet “backbone” and connect the “Cell Control Unit”.
5.0.2.4 Database: The wireless network access point/router is connected to a pair Linux
servers running Apache Web Server and the MySQL database server for the RMS server
applications.
Upon the successful completion of AMR simulation software and the RMS server and
database applications, a website will be developed to allow an end-user to view, track,
and analyze their electrical consumption data and generate reports and graphs to illustrate
the trends.
RMS Prototype Component Diagram for Phase I:
14
6.0 Work Plan: Phase II - Functional Prototype and Development
6.1 ANTICIPATED PHASE I RESULTS
In order to minimize the cost for both RMS and the electrical utility
company, the system will work with existing COTS AMR electrical
meter hardware.
The key to AMR technology is the ERT, or Encoder Receiver
Example of an
Transmitter. ERTs are radio-based modules that fit on electric, gas
ERT
or water meters. ERTs can be retrofitted to existing meters or
installed on new meters during the manufacturing process.1
The leading manufacturer of ERT’s is Itron Inc, who has produced over 20 million units.
Itron Inc. is a leading technology provider and source of knowledge to the energy and
water industry for collecting, analyzing, and applying critical data about electric, gas, and
water usage.2 Other manufacturers of ERT’s are Rio Tronics, American Meter, and
Sensus Technologies.
The main benefit of using ITRON based AMR’s with RMS is that there already exists on
the market a radio-based fixed network infrastructure and hardware that allow for remote
data communication between a large number of utility meters to a central receiving
station.
Example of Itron’s fixed AMR system:
The Phase II design shows the final implementation of the Resource Monitoring System.
The AMR Electric Meter continuously transmits usage data via wireless RF technology
to Cell Control Tower. This usage data is collected from the Electric Utility Company
1
2
http://www.mge.com/residential/AMR/amr_equip.htm
http://www.businesswire.com/webbox/bw.090401/212470214.htm
15
and analyzed and stored by the RMS equipment. The data is then made available to the
client via a web interface over the Internet.
6.2
SIGNIFICANCE OF PHASE I TO PHASE II
Phase I will prove the technical feasibility of the Resource Monitoring System. It will
also be used to develop many of the necessary web applications and database software
that will be used in Phase II to build a fully functional prototype that will be tested in an
actual residential and commercial environment.
6.2.1 RMS System Coming Together:
The RMS Server Component Diagram illustrates the 2-tier system in which the
application and database functions are separated into distinct units in order to avoid
bottlenecks. Both servers are COTS standard Intel X86 based multi-processor platforms
with redundant power supplies, multiple Gigabit Ethernet NICs, and RAID arrays. The
OS used will be RedHat Linux Advanced Server (AS) along with the open-source
Apache web server. The database server will also use Redhat AS with MySQL 4.0 as the
relational database software.
16
6.2.2 User View of RMS: The utility customer will be able to access their consumption
data via a web-based interface from their home or business computer. A series of easy to
use screens and menus will provide access to electricity usage, analyzes consumption
data and displays it in graphical format, provides penalty and peak-demand notifications,
provides a budgeting tool, and in the future when other utilities such as oil, natural-gas,
and water are added – leak detection and online bill payment.
Examples of RMS Client Screens:
RMS Main Page
RMS Login Page
17
RMS Administration Page
RMS Budget Alert Page
7.0 WORK PLAN
Project Implementation Plan
The Resource Monitoring System (RMS) project will span over two years. This project
will be completed by employing a four-phase plan. Furthermore this project is divided
into various Tasks, Assignments and Resources. Individual phases are described below.
(Figure 1 – Project Phases)
7.0.1 PHASE 0
This phase is called the “CONCEPTION”; which will span over 65 days and it will
continue between Wed 2/12/03 and Thu 5/8/03. This phase consists of variety of
deliverables. The early stages of Phase 0 involve extensive research by the project
members. In order for Phase 0 to be considered an accomplishment, RMS must prove the
scientific / technical merit and feasibility of the system and its benefit to the funding
organization. Review the chart (1.1) for an illustration of Phase 0.
18
Milestones for Phase 0 are as follow:


T000-0100 INITIAL PROJECT RESEARCH
T000-0200 DEVELOP PROJECT WEBSITE









T000-0300 FEASIBLITY PRESENTATION
T000-0310 RESEARCH SOCIETAL PROBLEM
T000-0320 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
T000-0330 COMPETITION MATRIX
T000-0340 FUNCTIONAL DIAGRAM
T000-0350 RISK/LEGAL ANALYSIS
T000-0360 RESOURCES/PERSONAL
T000-0370 SURVEY
T000-0380 GIVE FEASIBILITY PRESENTATION








T000-0400 MILESTONE PLANNING PRESENTATION
T000-0410 BUDGETS
T000-0420 COST ANALYSIS
T000-0430 WORK BREAKDOWN
T000-0440 SCHEDULES
T000-0450 RISK ANALYSIS
T000-0460 GIVE MILESTONE PRESENTATION
T000-0470 WEBSITE PRESENTATION








T000-0500 DOCUMENTATION
T000-0510 WEBSITE COMPLETION FOR FINAL PRESENTATION
T000-0520 PROJECT PLAN/ FOR SBIR GRANT
T000-0521 ABSTRACT
T000-0522 GOALS/OBJECTIVES
T000-0522 TECHNICAL APPROACH
T000-0523 WORK PLAN
T000-0524 MARKETING PLAN







T000-0600 APPROVAL PRESENTATION
T000-0610 PROJECT PLAN
T000-0620 MARKETING PLAN
T000-0630 BUDGET/FINANCIAL PLAN
T000-0640 CONTRACTUAL ASPECTS
T000-0650 EVALUATION PLAN
T000-0660 GIVE APPROVAL PRESENTATION
(Chart 1.1 – Project Implementation Plan Phase 0)
Tasks
T000-0000 PHASE 0 - CONCEPTION
T000-0100 INITIAL PROJECT RESEARCH
T000-0200 DEVELOP PROJECT WEBSITE
T000-0300 FEASIBLITY PRESENTATION
T000-0310 RESEARCH SOCIETAL PROBLEM
T000-0320 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
T000-0330 COMPETITION MATRIX
T000-0340 FUNCTIONAL DIAGRAM
T000-0350 RISK/LEGAL ANALYSIS
T000-0360 RESOURCES/PERSONAL
T000-0370 SURVEY
T000-0380 GIVE FEASIBILITY PRESENTATION
T000-0400 MILESTONE PLANNING PRESENTATION
T000-0410 BUDGETS
T000-0420 COST ANALYSIS
T000-0430 WORK BREAKDOWN
Days
65 days
30 days
65 days
27 days
26 days
26 days
26 days
26 days
26 days
26 days
26 days
1 day
47 days
24 days
24 days
24 days
Start Date
Wed 2/12/03
Wed 2/12/03
Wed 2/12/03
Wed 2/12/03
Wed 2/12/03
Wed 2/12/03
Wed 2/12/03
Wed 2/12/03
Wed 2/12/03
Wed 2/12/03
Wed 2/12/03
Thu 3/20/03
Mon 2/24/03
Mon 3/24/03
Mon 3/24/03
Mon 3/24/03
Finish Date
Thu 5/8/03
Tue 3/25/03
Thu 5/8/03
Thu 3/20/03
Wed 3/19/03
Wed 3/19/03
Wed 3/19/03
Wed 3/19/03
Wed 3/19/03
Wed 3/19/03
Wed 3/19/03
Thu 3/20/03
Thu 4/24/03
Mon 4/21/03
Mon 4/21/03
Mon 4/21/03
19
T000-0440 SCHEDULES
T000-0450 RISK ANALYSIS
T000-0460 GIVE MILESTONE PRESENTATION
T000-0470 WEBSITE PRESENTATION
T000-0500 DOCUMENTATION
T000-0510 WEBSITE COMPLETION FOR FINAL
PRESENTATION
T000-0520 PROJECT PLAN/ FOR SBIR GRANT
T000-0521 ABSTRACT
T000-0522 GOALS/OBJECTIVES
T000-0522 TECHNICAL APPROACH
T000-0523 WORK PLAN
T000-0524 MARKETING PLAN
T000-0600 APPROVAL PRESENTATION
T000-0610 PROJECT PLAN
T000-0620 MARKETING PLAN
T000-0630 BUDGET/FINANCIAL PLAN
T000-0640 CONTRACTUAL ASPECTS
T000-0650 EVALUATION PLAN
T000-0660 GIVE APPROVAL PRESENTATION
24 days
24 days
1 day
1 day
10 days
10 days
Mon 3/24/03
Mon 2/24/03
Thu 4/17/03
Thu 4/24/03
Fri 4/25/03
Mon 4/21/03
Thu 3/27/03
Thu 4/17/03
Thu 4/24/03
Thu 5/8/03
Fri 4/25/03
Thu 5/8/03
9 days
1 day
9 days
9 days
9 days
9 days
10 days
9 days
9 days
9 days
9 days
9 days
1 day
Fri 4/25/03
Fri 4/25/03
Fri 4/25/03
Fri 4/25/03
Fri 4/25/03
Fri 4/25/03
Fri 4/25/03
Fri 4/25/03
Fri 4/25/03
Fri 4/25/03
Fri 4/25/03
Fri 4/25/03
Thu 5/8/03
Wed 5/7/03
Fri 4/25/03
Wed 5/7/03
Wed 5/7/03
Wed 5/7/03
Wed 5/7/03
Thu 5/8/03
Wed 5/7/03
Wed 5/7/03
Wed 5/7/03
Wed 5/7/03
Wed 5/7/03
Thu 5/8/03
7.0.2 PHASE 1
This phase is called the “PROOF OF CONCEPT”; which will span over 88 days and it
will continue between Mon 5/9/03 and Fri 9/9/03. The phase 1 of RMS involves with
designing prototype. Finally this phase ends with developing an actual working prototype
for this project. Refer to the chart (1.2) for an illustration of Phase 1.
Milestones for Phase 1 are as follows:






T100-0100 PROCURE MATERIAL WITH SBIR FUNDING
T100-0200 PROJECT DESCRIPTION PAPER
T100-0300 TECHNICAL SUPPORT CONTRACT PAPER
T100-0400 BUDGET WHITE PAPER
T100-0500 PRODUCT USER MANUAL PAPER
T100-0600 PROJECT WEB PAGE




T100-0700 BUILD PROTOTYPE SYSTEM
T100-0710 DATABASE DEVELOPMENT
T100-0711 CREATE DATABASE
T100-0712 DATABASE TESTING




T100-0720 DATABASE SERVER
T100-0721 INSTALLATION
T100-0722 CONFIGURATION
T100-0723 TESTING








T100-0730 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
T100-0731 WRITE PROGRAM FOR RANDOM DATA GENERATOR (SAME FORMAT OF DATA READ BY AMR)
T100-0732 WRITE PROGRAM TO ANALYZE THE DATA
T100-0733 APPLICATION SERVER
T100-0734 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION
T100-0735 CONFIGURATION
T100-0736 TESTING
T100-0737 DEVELOP USER INTERACTIVE WEBPAGE

T100-0800 TESTING PROTOTYPE
20





T100-0900 DEMONSTRATE PRODUCT PROTOTYPE
T100-1000 DEVELOP INITIAL MARKETING PLAN
T100-1010 CONTACT POTENTIAL CLIENT - POWER COMANPANIES
T100-1020 MEET WITH POTENTIAL CLIENTS AND DEMONSTRATE LAB PROTOTYPE
T100-1030 SIGN PRELIMINARY CONTRACT WITH A POWER COMPANY
(Chart 1.2 – Project Implementation Plan Phase 1)
Tasks
T100-0000 PHASE 1 - PROOF OF CONCEPT
T100-0100 PROCURE MATERIAL WITH SBIR
FUNDING
T100-0200 PROJECT DESCRIPTION PAPER
T100-0300 TECHNICAL SUPPORT CONTRACT
PAPER
T100-0400 BUDGET WHITE PAPER
T100-0500 PRODUCT USER MANUAL PAPER
T100-0600 PROJECT WEB PAGE
T100-0700 BUILD PROTOTYPE SYSTEM
T100-0710 DATABASE DEVELOPMENT
T100-0711 CREATE DATABASE
T100-0712 DATABASE TESTING
T100-0720 DATABASE SERVER
T100-0721 INSTALLATION
T100-0722 CONFIGURATION
T100-0723 TESTING
T100-0730 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
T100-0731 WRITE PROGRAM FOR
RANDOM DATA GENERATOR (SAME FORMAT OF
DATA READ BY AMR)
T100-0732 WRITE PROGRAM TO ANALYZE
THE DATA
T100-0733 APPLICATION SERVER
T100-0734 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION
T100-0735 CONFIGURATION
T100-0736 TESTING
T100-0737 DEVELOP USER INTERACTIVE
WEBPAGE
T100-0800 TESTING PROTOTYPE
T100-0900 DEMONSTRATE PRODUCT
PROTOTYPE
T100-1000 DEVELOP INITIAL MARKETING
PLAN
T100-1010 CONTACT POTENTIAL CLIENT POWER COMANPANIES
T100-1020 MEET WITH POTENTIAL
CLIENTS AND DEMONSTRATE LAB PROTOTYPE
T100-1030 SIGN PRELIMINARY CONTRACT
WITH A POWER COMPANY
Days
Start Date
End Date
88 days
1 day
Fri 5/9/03
Tue 9/9/03
Mon 5/12/03
Mon 5/12/03
2 days
6 days
Mon 5/12/03
Tue 5/13/03
Mon 5/19/03
Mon 5/26/03
6 days
6 days
66 days
49 days
25 days
20 days
5 days
12 days
2 days
3 days
7 days
49 days
20 days
Mon 5/26/03
Mon 6/2/03
Fri 5/9/03
Mon 6/2/03
Mon 6/2/03
Mon 6/2/03
Mon 6/30/03
Mon 7/7/03
Mon 7/7/03
Wed 7/9/03
Mon 7/14/03
Mon 6/2/03
Mon 6/2/03
Mon 6/9/03
Fri 8/8/03
Thu 8/7/03
Fri 7/4/03
Fri 6/27/03
Fri 7/4/03
Tue 7/22/03
Tue 7/8/03
Fri 7/11/03
Tue 7/22/03
Thu 8/7/03
Mon 6/2/03
Fri 6/27/03
Mon 6/30/03
Fri 7/11/03
10 days
1 day
1 day
3 days
5 days
Mon 7/14/03
Mon 7/28/03
Tue 7/29/03
Wed 7/30/03
Fri 7/25/03
Mon 7/28/03
Tue 7/29/03
Fri 8/1/03
Fri 8/1/03
Thu 8/7/03
5 days
1 day
Thu 7/31/03
Wed 8/6/03
Fri 8/8/03
Fri 8/8/03
Mon 8/11/03
Tue 9/9/03
Mon 8/11/03
Fri 8/22/03
Wed 8/13/03
Tue 8/26/03
Wed 8/27/03
Tue 9/9/03
10 days
22 days
10 days
10 days
10 days
21
7.0.3 PHASE 2
This phase is called the “FUNCTIONAL PROTOTYPE AND DEVELOPMENT”;
which will span over 438 days and it will continue between Mon 9/10/03 and Thu
5/12/05. Refer to the chart (1.3) for an illustration of Phase 2.
Milestones for Phase 2 are as follows:




T200-0100 CONTRACT WITH POWER COMPANY
T200-0110 DEVELOP TEST MARKET CONTRACT WITH POWER COMPANY
T200-0120 ENTER CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
T200-0130 SIGN CONTRACT AGREEMENT








T200-0200 PURCHASING
T200-0210 HARDWARE
T200-0220 COMPUTER SYSTEMS
T200-0230 EQUIPMENT
T200-0240 CONTRACT EXPERTS
T200-0300 INSTALLATION
T200-0310 CONTRACT OUT INSTALLATION
T200-0320 EQUIPMENT TO INSTALL


T200-0400 DATABASE
T200-0410 DESIGN SYSTEM TO INTERFACE WITH POWER COMPANY DATA





T200-0420 MYSQL PROGRAMMING
T200-0421 CREATE TABLES
T200-0422 CREATE KEYS
T200-0423 CODING FOR STORING AND UPDATING DATA IN DATABASE
T200-0424 TESTING












T200-0500 SOFTWARE
T200-0510 WRITE A PROGRAM THAT ANALYZE DATA
T200-0520 WRITE CODE THAT FORMAT DATA INTO A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION
T200-0530 TESTING
T200-0600 DATABASE SERVER
T200-0610 SETUP SERVER SOFTWARE
T200-0620 INSTALL DATABASE
T200-0630 NETWORKING/CONFIGURATION
T200-0640 APPLICATION SERVER
T200-0650 SETUP SERVER SOFTWARE/APPLICATIONS
T200-0660 INSTALL SOFTWARE
T200-0670 NETWORKING/CONFIGURATION





T200-0700 WEB-SITE
T200-0710 DESIGN
T200-0720 JAVA PROGRAMMING
T200-0730 USER INTERFACE
T200-0740 CONFIGURATIONS




T200-0800 TESTING
T200-0810 TEST SYSTEM
T200-0820 SERVERS PROCESSES
T200-0830 USER INTERFACE/ INTERACTION




T200- 0900 DOCUMENTATION
T200-0910 DOCUMENT DATABASE
T200-0920 DOCUMENT SOFTWARE
T200-0930 CREATE USERS MANUAL



T200-1000 TRAINING
T200-1010 USER GUIDELINES
T200-1020 MAINTENANCE
22

T200-1030 TECH SUPPORT
(Chart 1.3 – Project Implementation Plan Phase 2)
Tasks
T200-0000 PHASE 2 FUNCTIONAL PROTOTYPE
AND DEVELOPMENT
T200-0100 CONTRACT WITH POWER COMPANY
T200-0110 DEVELOP TEST MARKET CONTRACT
WITH POWER COMPANY
T200-0120 ENTER CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
T200-0130 SIGN CONTRACT AGREEMENT
T200-0200 PURCHASING
T200-0210 HARDWARE
T200-0220 COMPUTER SYSTEMS
T200-0230 EQUIPMENT
T200-0240 CONTRACT EXPERTS
T200-0300 INSTALLATION
T200-0310 CONTRACT OUT INSTALLATION
T200-0320 EQUIPMENT TO INSTALL
T200-0400 DATABASE
T200-0410 DESIGN SYSTEM TO INTERFACE WITH
POWER COMPANY DATA
T200-0420 MYSQL PROGRAMMING
T200-0421 CREATE TABLES
T200-0422 CREATE KEYS
T200-0423 CODING FOR STORING AND UPDATING
DATA IN DATABASE
T200-0424 TESTING
T200-0500 SOFTWARE
T200-0510 WRITE A PROGRAM THAT ANALYZE
DATA
T200-0520 WRITE CODE THAT FORMAT DATA
INTO A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION
T200-0530 TESTING
T200-0600 DATABASE SERVER
T200-0610 SETUP SERVER SOFTWARE
T200-0620 INSTALL DATABASE
T200-0630 NETWORKING/CONFIGURATION
T200-0640 APPLICATION SERVER
T200-0650 SETUP SERVER
SOFTWARE/APPLICATIONS
T200-0660 INSTALL SOFTWARE
T200-0670 NETWORKING/CONFIGURATION
T200-0700 WEB-SITE
T200-0710 DESIGN
T200-0720 JAVA PROGRAMMING
T200-0730 USER INTERFACE
T200-0740 CONFIGURATIONS
T200-0800 TESTING
T200-0810 TEST SYSTEM
T200-0820 SERVERS PROCESSES
T200-0830 USER INTERFACE/ INTERACTION
Days
438 days
Start Date
End Date
Wed 9/10/03
Thu 5/12/05
45 days
21 days
Wed 9/10/03
Tue 11/11/03
Wed 9/10/03
Wed 10/8/03
21 days
1 day
55 days
10 days
10 days
15 days
20 days
65 days
10 days
45 days
113 days
27 days
Thu 10/9/03
Tue 11/11/03
Wed 9/10/03
Wed 9/10/03
Wed 9/24/03
Wed 10/8/03
Wed 10/29/03
Mon 12/8/03
Mon 12/8/03
Mon 1/5/04
Mon 3/8/04
Thu 11/6/03
Tue 11/11/03
Tue 11/25/03
Tue 9/23/03
Tue 10/7/03
Tue 10/28/03
Tue 11/25/03
Thu 3/4/04
Fri 12/19/03
Thu 3/4/04
Wed 8/11/04
Mon 3/8/04
Tue 4/13/04
68 days
5 days
2 days
15 days
Mon 5/10/04
Mon 5/10/04
Mon 5/17/04
Wed 8/11/04
Fri 5/14/04
Tue 5/18/04
Wed 5/19/04
Tue 6/8/04
45 days
75 days
45 days
Thu 6/10/04
Thu 8/12/04
Wed 8/11/04
Wed 11/24/04
Thu 8/12/04
Wed 10/13/04
Thu 8/12/04
Wed 10/13/04
30 days
32 days
2 days
10 days
5 days
5 days
5 days
Thu 10/14/04
Thu 11/25/04
Thu 11/25/04
Mon 11/29/04
Mon 12/13/04
Mon 12/20/04
Wed 11/24/04
Fri 1/7/05
Fri 11/26/04
Fri 12/10/04
Fri 12/17/04
Fri 12/24/04
Mon 12/27/04
Fri 12/31/04
5 days
5 days
105 days
30 days
30 days
30 days
15 days
30 days
15 days
10 days
5 days
Mon 1/3/05
Thu 11/25/04
Wed 8/25/04
Wed 8/25/04
Wed 10/6/04
Wed 11/17/04
Wed 12/29/04
Wed 12/22/04
Wed 12/22/04
Wed 1/12/05
Wed 1/26/05
Fri 1/7/05
Wed 12/1/04
Tue 1/18/05
Tue 10/5/04
Tue 11/16/04
Tue 12/28/04
Tue 1/18/05
Tue 2/1/05
Tue 1/11/05
Tue 1/25/05
Tue 2/1/05
45 days
23
T200- 0900 DOCUMENTATION
T200-0910 DOCUMENT DATABASE
T200-0920 DOCUMENT SOFTWARE
T200-0930 CREATE USERS MANUAL
T200-1000 TRAINING
T200-1010 USER GUIDELINES
T200-1020 MAINTENANCE
T200-1030 TECH SUPPORT
45 days
15 days
30 days
45 days
30 days
5 days
10 days
15 days
Fri 1/28/05
Fri 2/18/05
Fri 2/18/05
Fri 1/28/05
Fri 4/1/05
Fri 4/1/05
Fri 4/8/05
Fri 4/22/05
Thu 3/31/05
Thu 3/10/05
Thu 3/31/05
Thu 3/31/05
Thu 5/12/05
Thu 4/7/05
Thu 4/21/05
Thu 5/12/05
7.0.4 PHASE 3
This phase is called the “PRODUCTION”; which will span over 232 days and it will
continue between Wed 5/13/05 and Mon 4/03/06. Refer to the chart (1.4) for an
illustration of Phase 3.
Milestones for Phase 3 are as follows:




T300-0100 MARKETING PLAN
T300-0110 LOBBY STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR PENALTIES FOR OVERUSAGE OF
ELECRICITY
T300-0120 CONTACT AND MEET WITH OTHER UTILITY PROVIDERS (WATER, NATURAL GAS, OIL)"
T300-0130 SERVICE CONTRACTS WITH UTILITY COMPANIES








T300-0200 EQUIPMENT/SOFTWARE INSTALLATION
T300-0300 CUSTOMER ACCEPTANCE TESTING
T300-0400 INCORPORATE CHANGES/CORRECTIONS
T300-0500 CUSTOMER FINAL ACCEPTANCE
T300-0600 FINALIZE PRODUCTION
T300-0700 DEVELOP OUT-YEAR STRATEGY
T300-0800 DEVELOP OUT-YEAR PLAN/ORGANIZATION
T300-0900 SHIFT TO OUT-YEARS
(Chart 1.4 – Project Implementation Plan Phase 3)
Tasks
T300-0000 PHASE 3 - PRODUCTION
T300-0100 MARKETING PLAN
T300-0110 LOBBY STATE AND FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT FOR PENALTIES FOR OVERUSAGE
OF ELECRICITY
T300-0120 CONTACT AND MEET WITH OTHER
UTILITY PROVIDERS (WATER, NATURAL GAS,
OIL)
T300-0130 SERVICE CONTRACTS WITH UTILITY
COMPANIES
T300-0200 EQUIPMENT/SOFTWARE
INSTALLATION
T300-0300 CUSTOMER ACCEPTANCE TESTING
T300-0400 INCORPORATE
CHANGES/CORRECTIONS
T300-0500 CUSTOMER FINAL ACCEPTANCE
T300-0600 FINALIZE PRODUCTION
T300-0700 DEVELOP OUT-YEAR STRATEGY
Days
Start
Date
End Date
232 days
120 days
90 days
Fri 5/13/05
Fri 5/13/05
Mon 4/3/06
Thu 10/27/05
Fri 5/13/05
Thu 9/15/05
Fri 5/13/05
Thu 9/15/05
Fri 9/16/05
Thu 10/27/05
Mon 10/3/05
Fri 10/21/05
20 days
36 days
Mon 10/24/05
Fri 11/18/05
Mon 11/21/05
Mon 1/9/06
20 days
15 days
5 days
Tue 1/10/06
Tue 2/7/06
Tue 2/28/06
Mon 2/6/06
Mon 2/27/06
Mon 3/6/06
90 days
30 days
15 days
24
T300-0800 DEVELOP OUT-YEAR
PLAN/ORGANIZATION
T300-0900 SHIFT TO OUT-YEARS
15 days
5 days
Tue 3/7/06
Mon 3/27/06
Tue 3/28/06
Mon 4/3/06
8.0 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR AND KEY PERSONEL
General Manager/Principal Investigator:
Janet Brunelle - General manager of RMS. Mrs. Brunelle holds a Ph.D in Business
Management and a MS in Computer Science, both from Old Dominion University. She
currently sidelines as a Computer Science Instructor at Old Dominion University in her
spare time.
Contact: brunelle@cs.odu.edu
Project Manager:
Michael J. Higgins is currently a senior at Old Dominion University seeking his
bachelor's degree in computer science, focusing on systems programming/engineering
with a minor in computer engineering. He is currently employed as a co-op for the
government. His interests include systems programming and web development. He is
currently the RMS project manager in cs410.
Contact: mhiggins10@cox.net
Research & Development Manager:
Anthony Virata is the Research and Development Manager for RMS.
Mr. Virata holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Old Dominion University and is
currently working on a second BS degree in Computer Science also from Old Dominion
University. He has worked for 3 years as an engineer for Clark•Nexsen and is now
currently working for SPAWAR as a computer scientist.
Contact: aavirata@cox.net
Marketing & Sales Analyst:
Gary Calpo, 23, is working towards a BS in Computer Science with a minor in Computer
Engineering. He currently attends ODU as a full-time student and writes utilities for
www.fliptech.net in his free time. He plans on completing his course work in Computer
Science after fall 2003.
Contact: g_calpo@yahoo.com
Web Development:
Khuram Imtiaz is the Web Developer and Graphics Designer for RMS. He graduates
from Old Dominion University in May 2004. He is currently working at Dynamic
Systems Integration, a company that provides software, web, and network solutions.
Khuram is working as a Software and Web Developer at DSI. He has knowledge of
different web programming and scripting languages that includes: ASP.NET, VB.NET,
PHP, ASP, COM and JavaScript. He plans on using his skills in the further progress of
RMS.
Contact: khurmie@hotmail.com
Finance Manager:
25
Abdul Khan is the Finance Manager for RMS. Mr. Khan is pursuing his bachelors in
computer science from ODU.
Contact: abdulkhan1@msn.com
Legal Analyst:
Joseph Banks is a Legal Analyst for RMS. Mr. Joseph is a senior attending Old
Dominion University as a
full time student in the faculty of computer science. His interests in the computer science
field include graphics and database programming. After he graduates, he plans to work as
a full time employee and pursue his Masters degree part time.
Contact: jbank007@yahoo.com
9.0 FACILITIES/EQUIPEMENT
The RMS system will be developed at Old Dominion University’s Computer Science
Department. The project will use the university’s existing resources such as computer
and network labs, offices, storage and work areas, and ancillary services such as
administrative and business offices. The cost for these resources and services will be
covered through a 40% overhead factor in the RMS labor budget.
All equipment and services required for the RMS project will be purchased using SBIR
funding, and a detailed list has been provided in the Detailed Phase I Budget in Section
11.1, specifically under the Software and Hardware Components.
10.0 CONTRACTUAL ASPECTS
Resource Monitoring System (RMS) will utilize the services of subcontractors to
facilitate design and development of the project during Phases I (functional prototype)
and II (system development). Below are descriptions of several subcontractors that we
will employ during these phases. We will use expert consultants as necessary in order to
assure the success of the project. RMS will have the need for a legal consultant to
evaluate the legal validity of our project and the research potential paperwork, contracts,
and forms to be processed by our organization. A software/database consultant and
financial/marketing consultant will also be employed. RMS will also have contractual
relationships with the utility companies and customers due to privacy rights and security
requirements.
10.1 Subcontractors and Consultants
Equipment Installation Technician
Responsible for the initial equipment installation for the prototype design, which includes
two electrical automated meters. Requires a bachelor's degree in related area and 4 years
of experience in the field or in a related area. Has knowledge of networking equipment
and other computer components. Works under general supervision; typically reports to
the system manager.
26
Network Installation Technician
Responsible for all the hardware components and installation for network infrastructure
such as Cisco router, servers, firewall and computers. Requires a bachelor's degree in
related area and 4 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Has knowledge of
networking equipment and other computer components. Works under general
supervision; typically reports to the system manager.
JAVA /Web Programmer
Reviews and analyzes programming systems including encoding, testing, debugging and
documenting for RMS. Designs, modifies, develops, writes and implements software
programming applications required for RMS. Supports and/or installs software
applications. Participates in the testing process through test review and analysis, test
witnessing and certification of software. Configures the software and web-site. Has
knowledge of commonly used concepts, practices, and procedures utilized within the
technology field. Works under general supervision; typically reports to the project
manager. We plan to subcontract Soft-offshore Association (SOA), a group of St
Petersburg based companies that specialize in remote software development for
international customers, for all programmers that will be need to perform the
programming tasks. Most of programmers have master’s degrees.
SQL Programmer
Reviews and analyzes programming systems including encoding, testing, debugging and
documenting for RMS. Designs, modifies, develops, writes and implements the database
and applications required for RMS. Supports and installs database applications.
Participates in the testing process through test review and analysis. Has knowledge of
commonly used concepts, practices, and procedures utilized within the technology field.
Works under general supervision; typically reports to the project manager.
We plan to subcontract Soft-offshore Association (SOA), a group of St Petersburg based
companies that specialize in remote software development for international customers,
for all programmers that will be need to perform the programming tasks. Most of
programmers have master’s degrees.
Lobbyist
RMS plans to contract a lobbyist to try and get legislators and city councils to impose
penalties for energy and water overuse. This will definitely be a benefit for RMS. Plan to
contract Larry Swann, a former legislator from Doddridge County who now lobbies in
several issue areas, including gambling, health and utilities. He also has a solid
understanding of information and technology. Relies on experience and judgment to plan
and accomplish goals. Works under general supervision; typically reports to legal
manager.
Document Specialist
Prepares and/or maintains documentation pertaining to programming, systems operation
and user documentation of RMS. Translates business specifications into user
documentation. Works on training guides and user manuals. Requires a bachelor's degree
27
in related area and 4 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Has knowledge
of commonly used concepts, practices, and procedures utilized within the technology
field. Works under general supervision; typically reports to legal manager.
Lawyer
Has knowledge of commonly used concepts, practices, and procedures utilized within the
technology field. Relies on instructions and pre-established guidelines to perform the
functions of the job. Creates, writes, negotiates and reviews hardware and/or software
licensing contracts, purchasing contracts for required materials, and production and
development contracts for RMS. Works with the RMS team in establishing agreements
that reflect the interests of the company. Also works drafting licensing agreements. Must
have a solid understanding of information and web technology. Relies on limited
experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Works under general supervision;
typically reports to legal manager. RMS plans to contract a lawyer from Faegre &
Benson law firm. Their lawyers have handled some complex and challenging
transactions, invasion of privacy, access to Government information, and data privacy
matters in nearly every U.S. State.
Software/Database Consultant
Reviews and analyzes programming systems including encoding, testing, debugging and
documenting for RMS. Designs, modifies, develops and implements software
programming applications required for RMS. Supports and/or installs software
applications. Has knowledge of commonly used concepts, practices, and procedures
utilized within the technology field. Works under general supervision; typically reports to
system manager. We plan to subcontract Soft-offshore Association (SOA) for all
consultants that will be need.
Financial / Marketing Specialist
Responsibilities include design, implementation, and analysis of budget, accounting,
purchasing, and marketing aspects of product. Responsibilities also include purchasing
and negotiating materials, equipment, and supplies from vendors. Evaluates vendor
quotes and services to determine most desirable suppliers. Must be qualified CPA. Have
5 years of business experiences. Finally responsible for marketing acquiring media
contracts and implement of market strategies towards target demographic. Two years
marketing or similar experiences required. Works under general supervision; typically
reports to the finance manager.
10.2 Contractual terms with Utility Companies and their Customers
Our targeting users, the homeowners and businesses must have access to a computer
with dial up capability such as phone line, modem or wireless and Internet Service
Provider in order to view and use the RMS interactive web-site on the World Web Wide.
RMS will not be responsible for any personal computers, dial-up problems or charges.
Our initial market is within the electricity companies market. The city public works
(water) and gas companies are potential in a later phase. The utility companies must sign
up with RMS on agreeable terms stated in contracts. These utility companies will provide
28
resources such as customer data that is read by the automated meters they already have in
place or in progress of installing. RMS servers will communication with the utility
companies’ database servers for the customers metering data. The data will be transfer to
RMS based on customer preference along with written permission and agreement
contracts to prevent a violation of privacy.
RMS and utility companies will have contract agreements for the following:
 Cost percentage for customer signup
 Customer data supply and confidential protection
 To begin building prototype
RMS and utility customers:
 Terms of agreement for access to confidential data to use by RMS
 Personal information protection
11.0 BUDGET
11.1 Detailed Phase I Budget
Phase I Budget
Software Component
Description
Database/Application Server: NuSphere
PHPed - MySQL/PHP/Apache
Operating System: RedHat Linux 9
Professional
Dreamweaver MX
SSL Certificate
Miscellaneous Software Tools
Quantity
Unit Cost
Sub Total
2
$299.00
$598.00
2
4
1
1
$149.00
$700.00
$200.00
$845.00
$298.00
$2,800.00
$200.00
$845.00
Software Total
$4,741.00
Hardware Component
Description
Dual processor Server
Monitor for Server
KVM Switch
Workstation w/OS and Office Suite
Wireless Network Card
Wireless Network Access Point/Router
Managed Fast Ethernet Switch
Laptop Computer w/OS and Office Suite
Miscellaneous cables, connectors, tools.
Hardware Total
Quantity
3
1
1
11
1
1
1
11
1
Unit Cost
$2,000.00
$450.00
$500.00
$2,000.00
$150.00
$200.00
$500.00
$2,000.00
$800.00
Sub Total
$6,000.00
$450.00
$500.00
$22,000.00
$150.00
$200.00
$500.00
$22,000.00
$800.00
$52,600.00
29
Labor Component
Description
Project Manager
Research Manager
Finance Manager
Legal Manager
Marketing Manager
Lawyer
Quantity (hours*)
160
80
80
80
240
80
Unit Cost
$36.10
$30.70
$30.70
$30.70
$30.70
$43.30
Subtotal
Overhead @ 40%
Labor Total
Sub Total
$5,776.00
$2,456.00
$2,456.00
$2,456.00
$7,368.00
$3,464.00
$23,976.00
$9,590.40
$33,566.40
Phase Total
Software Total
Hardware Total
Labor Total
Contingency @ 10%
$4,741.00
$52,600.00
$33,566.40
$9,090.74
Overall Phase I Total
$99,998.14
* Covers the period from after CS 411 to the end of Phase I
11.2 Detailed Phase II Budget
Phase II Budget
Software Component
Description
Database/Application Server: NuSphere
PHPed Advantage - MySQL/PHP/Apache
Operating System: RedHat Enterprise AS
Dreamweaver MX
SSL Certificate
Miscellaneous Software Tools
Quantity
Unit Cost
Sub Total
10
10
2
1
1
$495.00
$1,499.00
$700.00
$200.00
$1,000.00
$4,950.00
$14,990.00
$1,400.00
$200.00
$1,000.00
Software Total
$22,540.00
Hardware Component
Description
Dual processor Server
RAID Storage
Monitor for Server
KVM Switch
Cisco 515 PIX Firewall
Cisco Router
T1 Leased Line
Workstation w/OS and Office Suite
Quantity
10
5
2
2
1
1
12
10
Unit Cost
$2,000.00
$5,400.00
$450.00
$500.00
$2,695.00
$5,000.00
$700.00
$2,000.00
Sub Total
$20,000.00
$27,000.00
$900.00
$1,000.00
$2,695.00
$5,000.00
$8,400.00
$20,000.00
30
Managed Gigabit Ethernet Switch 48-port
Electrical AMR
Miscellaneous cables, connectors, tools,
additional software
2
2
$2,500.00
$500.00
$5,000.00
$1,000.00
1
$1,000.00
$1,000.00
Hardware Total
$91,995.00
Labor Component
Description
Project Manager
Research Manager
Finance Manager
Legal Manager
Webmaster/Software Manager
System Manager
DBA
SQL Programmer (2)
Java/Web Programmer (2)
Lawyer
Technician (3)
Document Specialist (2)
Quantity (hours)
984
1936
160
416
2992
536
912
2432
2080
512
360
720
Unit Cost
$36.10
$30.70
$30.70
$30.70
$30.70
$30.70
$30.70
$26.30
$26.30
$43.30
$16.83
$13.00
Subtotal
Overhead @ 40%
Labor Total
Sub Total
$35,522.40
$59,435.20
$4,912.00
$12,771.20
$91,854.40
$16,455.20
$27,998.40
$63,961.60
$54,704.00
$22,169.60
$6,058.80
$9,360.00
$405,202.80
$162,081.12
$567,283.92
Phase Total
Software Total
Hardware Total
Labor Total
Contingency @ 10%
$22,540.00
$91,995.00
$567,283.92
$68,181.89
Overall Phase II Total
$750,000.81
11.3 Detailed Phase III Budget
Phase III Budget
Software Component
Description
Operating System: RedHat Enterprise AS
Database/Application Server: NuSphere
PHPed Advantage - MySQL/PHP/Apache
SSL Certificate
Miscellaneous Software Tools
Software Total
Quantity
15
Unit Cost
$1,499.00
Sub Total
$22,485.00
15
1
1
$495.00
$200.00
$2,000.00
$7,425.00
$200.00
$2,000.00
$32,110.00
31
Hardware Component
Description
Dual processor Server
RAID Storage
Monitor for Server
KVM Switch
T3 Leased Line
Managed Gigabit Ethernet Switch 48-port
Miscellaneous cables, connectors, tools.
Quantity
15
10
3
3
12
5
1
Unit Cost
$2,000.00
$5,400.00
$450.00
$500.00
$10,000.00
$2,600.00
$1,500.00
Hardware Total
Sub Total
$30,000.00
$54,000.00
$1,350.00
$1,500.00
$120,000.00
$13,000.00
$1,500.00
$221,350.00
Labor Component
Description
Project Manager
Research Manager
Finance Manager
Legal Manager
Marketing Manager
Webmaster/Software Manager
System Manager
DBA
SQL Programmer (2)
Java/Web Programmer (2)
Lawyer
Lobbyist
Technician (3)
Quantity (hours)
1000
320
320
560
1040
1208
608
288
288
288
960
720
320
Subtotal
Overhead @ 40%
Labor Total
Unit Cost
$36.10
$30.70
$30.70
$30.70
$30.70
$30.70
$30.70
$30.70
$26.30
$26.30
$43.30
$43.30
$16.83
Sub Total
$36,100.00
$9,824.00
$9,824.00
$17,192.00
$31,928.00
$37,085.60
$18,665.60
$8,841.60
$7,574.40
$7,574.40
$41,568.00
$31,176.00
$5,385.60
$262,739.20
$105,095.68
$367,834.88
Phase Total
Software Total
Hardware Total
Labor Total
Contingency @ 10%
Overall Phase III Total
$32,110.00
$221,350.00
$367,834.88
$62,129.49
$683,424.37
11.4 Overall Budget for Phase I, II, and III
TOTALS FOR PHASE I, II, AND III
Phase I
Phase II
Phase III
$99,998.14
$750,000.81
$683,424.37
32
OVERALL TOTAL
$1,533,423.32
11.5 Out Years Budget
Out Years Budget
Software Component
Description
Redhat Enterprise Service Level
Subscription
PHPed Technical Support
Cisco Pix Firewall Tech Support
Cisco Router Tech Support
Miscellaneous Software Tools
Quantity
Unit Cost
Sub Total
25
25
1
1
1
$96.00
$299.00
$2,900.00
$5,675.00
$2,000.00
$2,400.00
$7,475.00
$2,900.00
$5,675.00
$2,000.00
Software Total
$20,450.00
Hardware Component
Description
T3 Leased Line
Quantity
12
Unit Cost
$10,000.00
Hardware Total
Sub Total
$120,000.00
$120,000.00
Labor Component
Description
Project Manager
Research Manager
Finance Manager
Legal Manager
Marketing Manager
Webmaster/Software Manager
System Manager
SQL Programmer (1)
Java/Web Programmer (1)
Lawyer
Lobbyist
Customer Service Technician (10)
Subtotal
Overhead @ 40%
Labor Total
Quantity (hours)
2080
2080
2080
2080
2080
2080
2080
2080
2080
2080
550
20800
Unit Cost
$36.10
$30.70
$30.70
$30.70
$30.70
$30.70
$30.70
$26.30
$26.30
$43.30
$43.30
$16.83
Sub Total
$75,088.00
$63,856.00
$63,856.00
$63,856.00
$63,856.00
$63,856.00
$63,856.00
$54,704.00
$54,704.00
$90,064.00
$23,815.00
$350,064.00
$1,031,575.00
$412,630.00
$1,444,205.00
Phase Total
Software Total
Hardware Total
Labor Total
Contingency @ 10%
Overall Outyear Total
$20,450.00
$120,000.00
$1,444,205.00
$158,465.50
$1,743,120.50
33
12.0 DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE) FORMS
34
DOE F-4620.3
(09-90)
APPENDIX C
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) AND
SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR)
GRANT APPLICATION BUDGET
(Please Print or Type)
FIRM NAME: Resource Monitoring System
A. PERSONNEL (Employees)
NAME
Michael J. Higgins
Anthony A. Virata
Joseph Banks
Gary Calpo
Khuram Imtiaz
Abdul Khan
ROLE IN PROJECT
EST.
HOURS
160
80
80
240
0
80
HOURLY
RATE
36.10
30.70
30.70
30.70
30.70
30.70
B. CONSULTANTS
NAME
ROLE IN PROJECT
EST.
HOURS
HOURLY
RATE
Faegre & Benson law firm
Lawyer
80
43.30
\
Project Manager
Research Manager
Legal Manager
Marketing Manager
Web/Software Manager
Finance Manager
FRINGE
TOTAL COST
BENEFITS
5,776.00
2,456.00
2,456.00
7,368.00
0
2,456.00
3,464.00
C. LEASED EQUIPMENT (Specify Time and Rate, or Other Basis)
ITEM
None
AMOUNT
D. PURCHASED EQUIPMENT
ITEM
Database/Application Server: NuSphere PHPed - MySQL/PHP/Apache x 2 @ $299.00
Operating System: RedHat Linux 9 Professional
x 2 @ $149.00
Dreamweaver MX x 4 @ $700.00
SSL Certificate
Miscellaneous Software Tools
Dual processor Server x 3 @ $2,000.00
Monitor for Server $450.00
KVM Switch
$500.00
Workstation w/OS and Office Suite
x 11 @
Wireless Network Card
$150.00
Wireless Network Access Point/Router $200.00
Managed Fast Ethernet Switch
Laptop Computer w/OS and Office Suite x 11 @
Miscellaneous cables, connectors, tools.
$598.00
$298.00
$2,800.00
$200.00
$845.00
$6,000.00
$450.00
$500.00
$22,000.00
$150.00
$200.00
$500.00
$22,000.00
$800.00
$2,000.00
$500.00
$2,000.00
$800.00
E. TRAVEL
N/A
35
F. OTHER DIRECT COSTS
1. Materials and
Supplies…………………………………………………………………………………………………..........
...............…
2. Publication
Costs………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....
..............……
3. Testing Services (Including work at Government
Installations)………………………………………………......................……
4. Computer
Services………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
.....................…
5. Research
Institution……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
.....................…
6. Other
Subcontracts.................................................................................................................................
......................................
7.
Other………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………….........................…
TOTAL OTHER DIRECT
COSTS……………………………………………………………………………………………..............
..............…
G. TOTAL DIRECT COSTS (A through F)
$81,367.00
H. INDIRECT COSTS (Specify Rate and Base)
Overhead expenses @ 40% labor rate = $9,540.40
Contingency expenses @ 10% total budget = $9,090.74
TOTAL INDIRECT COSTS
$18,631.14
I. TOTAL COSTS (G plus H)
$99,998.14
J. FEE OR PROFIT
0
K. TOTAL AMOUNT OF THIS REQUEST (Item I plus J)
$99,998.14
L. Has any executive agency of the United States Government performed any review of your accounts or records
in connection with any other grant or contract within the past year?  Yes  No. If Yes, give name, address, and
phone number of reviewing office and official:
No
M. CORPORATE/BUSINESS AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE - TYPED NAME AND SIGNATURE
DATE:
(Signature)
36
APPLICATION CHECKLIST
APPENDIX D
(Not Counted in the 25-page Limitation)
Firm Name: Resource Monitoring System
Project Title: Resource Monitoring System
Please complete both sides and paper clip (one copy only) to the cover sheet of the original (signed) copy of the grant
application.
DOES THE APPLICATION SATISFY THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS:
Yes
X
No

One, and only one, topic from the Technical Topics Section identified on the cover page.

One, and only one, subtopic from the Technical Topics Section identified on the cover page.
X

The cover page is completed and signed by all authorizing parties.
X

Principal Investigator will work a minimum of 195 hours or at least 5 hours / wk on the
project.
X

All certifications and questions on cover page marked Y (yes) or N (no).
X

Amount requested from Government is not in excess of $100,000.
X

The project summary contains the same topic and subtopic as selected on the cover page.
X

Abstract contains no proprietary information and does not exceed space provided on the
Project Summary Page (Appendix B).
X

Main text (technical content) is included as requested in Section 3.3.
X

Application, including all enclosures, not more than 25 pages. However, this checklist
(Appendix D) and the Documentation of Multiple Phase Awards (Section 3.3.7) will not be
included in the 25-page count.
X

No font smaller than 12 point times new roman in main text.
X

No pages other than 8 1/2” x 11”.
X

Level of effort in compliance with Section 3.3.5a. (For SBIR, the small business must
perform at least 2/3 of the research and analytical effort. For STTR, the small business must
perform at least 40% and the research institution must perform at least 30%.)*
X
*
For grant applications that are to be considered for both SBIR and STTR, prepare the grant application to
meet the requirements of the SBIR program. If the application is selected for STTR, budgetary adjustments
can be completed during the negotiation period before the grant begins.
ATTENTION:
GRANT APPLICATIONS NOT MEETING ALL OF THE ABOVE REQUIREMENTS WILL BE
DECLINED WITHOUT FURTHER ACTION.
37
STATISTICAL INFORMATION
Yes
The proposing firm certifies that it is a socially and economically disadvantaged small business.
(See Section 2.4.)
No
X
The proposing firm certifies that it is a women-owned small business. (See Section 2.5.)
X
The proposing firm is located in a HUB Zone. (See Section 2.7.)
X
38
WORKSHEET
For calculating the percent of the research and analytical effort performed by the
small business, the research institution, if any, and other consultants or
subcontractors (see Section 3.3.5.a.)
Small
Business
Research
Institution (if
any)
Other
Consultants
and/or
Subcontractors
(1) Total Value of
Project
(line I + line J
from budget
page
$96,534.14
(2) Value of leased,
purchased, or in-kind
equipment, and materials
& supplies
(3) = (1) - (2)
Research or analytical
effort
(4) Percentages (Divide
entries on line (3) by total
for line (3).)
TOTAL
$99,998.14
$0.00
$3,464.00
(lines
C+D+F1 from
budget page)
(Applicable
portion of
Research
Institutions
subcontract)
(Applicable
portion of
consultant
and/or other
subcontracts)
$57,391.00
$0.00
$0.00
$57,391.00
$20,512.00
$18,631.14
$3464.00
$42,607.14
48%
44%
8%
100%
39
13.0 APPENDICES
13.1 MANAGEMENT PLAN
The management structure in the figure below has been in place since January
2003. The General Manager oversees the entire project from inception to production.
The Project Manager directs the individual department managers in their responsibilities,
works to keep the project on schedule, and addresses problems that arise when deadlines
are not met. The Project Manager has also developed a Project Implementation Plan that
will guide us through each of the three project phases. The Finance Manager handles all
budget issues, including personnel costs, resource requirements, and allocation of
received funding. He also has contacted funding agencies and assessed their
qualifications based on mission statement, monetary allotment and schedule history. The
manager of the Research and Development Department designed our product, determined
the development timeline, established testing and evaluation procedures, and has supplied
information on the history of the problem area our product is addressing as well as future
projections on this area. The Research and Development Manager has developed a Work
Breakdown Structure containing a Gantt chart detailing our tasks, their beginning and
completion dates, and the parallel and interdependence status of each task. The Marketing
Manager has developed our marketing strategy and plan and has also determined the
agencies and individuals with which we must arrange contract agreements. Our Web
Master has created the company web page containing company information,
documentation, and product description and he has also developed artwork used by RMS.
The Project Manager is carrying out the duties of Editor and Presentation Coordinator.
All members of our team assist with questions during company presentations.
Initial Management Structure:
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As development of the project continues, the management structure will be expanded.
The figure below illustrates this tentative expansion, but will not be finalized until the
beginning of Phase II.
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13.2 EVALUATION PLAN
Throughout the life of the project, periodic evaluations will occur to assess the Project
State. Following are the methods, along with a detailed description, that will be utilized
for these assessments. Periodical reporting will be used to track progress of the project.
Program Design Reviews
A program design review will be conducted during each phase of the RMS project. This
review between the project manager, contractors and managers allows the monitoring of
progress on the project during the early stages of each phase.
Technical Review
Evaluates the direction taken in design, development, and testing of the project
Preliminary Design Review (PDR)
Preliminary Design Review (PDR) is the critical technical review in a series of reviews,
which will be used to establish the technical soundness of the performance baseline, and
obtain feedback and recommendations from experts on how the design, plans, and cost
and schedule estimates could be improved.
Critical Design Reviews (CDR)
A critical design review will be conducted during each phase of the RMS project. The
CDR is a significant milestone in the life of the RMS project. Results of all these reviews
will be tied directly to future funding of each project phase.
Quality Reviews
The quality review will be conducted on the RMS product prior to completion.
Specifications will be developed for this review during the later phase of production. The
formulation of these specifications will be a joint effort between the RMS team and all
subcontractors involved in the development of the system. Evaluate the processes used by
team members to perform tasks. Evaluate deliverables for compliance with contractual
requirements. Recommend corrective and preventive actions if necessary.
Customer Acceptance Test
At time of completion, the RMS team will conduct a customer acceptance test on the
fully assembled functioning system. The formulation of the test specifications will be a
joint effort between the RMS team and all contractors involved in the development of the
system.
13.3 SOFTWARE PLAN
Server Application
RMS plans to develop software to run on the application server. In the prototype and system
design, we will implement a server software application that will interface with the RMS web-
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site. The software will be implemented on PC in Java, a high-level programming language. Java
technology is an object-oriented, platform-independent, multithreaded programming
environment. It is the foundation for Web and networked services and allows us to securely
extend our project through platform independence. The application will be compiled using GCJ, a
portable, optimizing, ahead-of-time compiler for the Java Programming Language. Debugging is
supported using recent versions of the GNU debugger GDB.
The software will use the real-time automated read consumption data of individual clients to
provide current usage and to analyze for budging functions. Analyze consumption data will be
used to produce graphs for the customer. There will be alerts and graphical indication for high
consumption increasing near penalty use for imposed restrictions amount. Analyze for
tremendous high consumption to alert an indication for leaks. The application will also inform
the consumer of peak demand times.
User Interface
The graphical user interface will rely upon the web-site design. The user interface for the
software will be configured with the RMS client main web page.
13.4 MARKETING PLAN
The commercial potential of the Resource Monitoring System (RMS) lies in the finite
nature of resources distributed by utility companies and the desire of such companies to
curtail consumption of these resources. The primary business of these utilities is the
acquisition and sales of electricity, water, oil, and natural gas. In the United States, the
demand of a commodity as ubiquitous as electricity is projected to exceed local supply by
the year 2008. To avoid this, utilities must either build additional sources (power
generators, water pipelines) or find means to limit consumption. RMS will provide the
latter as a far more cost effective solution.
Undertaken by the RMS Group, an informal study (see Section 14.0) has found that 9 in
10 respondents found the rising costs of resources of at least some importance (Question
3). 5 in 6 respondents would find use in tracking of their resource usage (Question 4). 7
in 10 respondents admitted that they felt they were not using their resources effectively
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(Question 12). RMS will address these desires to monitor and more effectively use
resources.
If nothing more, RMS would give utility companies in competitive deregulated markets a
distinct advantage. 5 in 6 survey respondents would favor a utility offering RMS over a
competing utility that did not offer RMS (Question 5).
In the example of electricity monitoring, users empowered with RMS and rates that offer
additional discounts for low monthly kilowatt-hour totals will help drive down electricity
usage. Another type of rate plan that can be paired with RMS is Time of Use (TOU)
pricing which offers significant discounts on off-peak (early-morning/late-evening) usage
but higher-than-normal rates during peak times (usually 9 to 5). RMS users would be
able to track their hour-by-hour usage and minimize their on-peak usage by shifting
activities to off-peak times. By reducing overall electricity demands—especially peak
demand—utility companies will rely less upon backup generators that tend to cost more
to operate than their regular generators. In some instances, utilities may avoid the
necessity of rolling blackouts which characterized California summers in 2000-01.
While there are several similar services that offer subsets or supersets of the capabilities
of RMS geared mainly to large businesses, RMS group aims to capture portions of the
same markets in addition to large untouched markets (homeowners) where other services
cannot effectively compete due to prohibitive costs.
The initial marketing strategy of the RMS group will be to establish relationships with
electric companies with sufficiently advanced meter technology. Such technologies
would permit RMS users to access resource consumption statistics with minimal delay.
RMS group chooses electric companies over other markets such as water and natural gas
because of the immediate risk of electricity consumption exceeding local production in
only 5 years. By comparison, the other markets’ resources are in less immediate danger.
The preliminary target would be Nashville Electric Service (NES). NES has a relatively
small base of 200,000 customers. Only 17,500 of which will be compatible with RMS
service with little or no modification to their existing meters. Through this partnership,
NES customers will receive free RMS service for most of the Phase II period of over a
year. This initial market will provide RMS with the experience to expand to larger
markets in Phase III.
In Phase III, RMS will continue its partnership with NES and establish a relationship
with Duquesne Light in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Unlike Nashville Electric, every
customer of Duquesne Light can receive RMS service with little or no modification to
existing meters. This combined user base would be about 600,000 members in size. The
monthly service rate for RMS service will be $1.00 per month per customer and will be
charged directly to the utilities. The utilities, in turn, will have the option of absorbing
the costs of RMS for their customers or simply pass the costs along as a non-disputable
$1.00 fee. This passing-along of fees would be similar to the ubiquitous FCC fees for
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wireless phone services. With this expanded market size, a profit will be realized within
the first few months of Phase III and this profit will continue to grow into the out years.
During Phase II and Phase III, communication will be established with additional
prospective customers (utilities). In the out years, RMS will seek to form partnerships
with PECO Energy of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Kansas City Power & Light.
These utilities have large user bases, and individual meters will not have to be modified.
The combined user base will grow to over 3 million users. Keeping the $1.00 monthly
user fee, income would exceed $40 million annually.
While this figure may seem impressive for a service that is planned to cost $1.7 million to
operate annually, the monthly charge of $1.00 is not necessarily excessive. $1.00 a
month is a small price to pay given the potential of customers to save sizable amounts of
money off their utility bills annually. Furthermore, operational cost does not fully
anticipate hardware and personnel demands beyond the first year. Portions of surplus
income will be reinvested in expansion and the covering of the true operational costs.
The remainder of surplus income could conceivably be invested in expanding RMS
capabilities. For example, RMS could contact out “smart meter” installers to effectively
create market opportunities where there were none before. The effectiveness of RMS can
be largely enhanced by a promotional campaign highlighting the benefits of RMS
service. The costs for this advertising would initially be at the discretion of the partnered
utility companies, but to gain a greater mindshare, RMS may directly invest in
advertising of its own.
Future expansion will not be limited to electric companies. During the out years, RMS
will research the expansion to water, natural gas, and heating oil providers. Doing so
would double if not triple the potential market. Already RMS group has identified
potential initial markets in these areas. Similar to the markets identified for electricity,
these utility companies have an already-existing user base with smart meters. RMS
expansion into water utilities would begin with Boston Water & Sewer Commission
(79,000 customers). Expansion into natural gas providers would begin with Nicor Gas
serving Northern Illinois (10,000 customers). While there are no known existing “smart
meter” equipped heating oil tanks, a possible partnership with Switzerland-based Sensile
Technologies could help form that market.
With RMS attaining credibility, expansion may go beyond American borders. Since
finite resources are not limited to the United States alone, Resource Monitoring System
may find a lucrative international market. This direction will require extensive research
into international and foreign laws and policies. Also, internet service in many foreign
countries is not as ubiquitous as it has become in the United States.
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13.5 GANTT CHART
Entire Project (Phases 0, 1, 2, and 3):
Phase 0 (Major Milestones):
Phase 1 (Major Milestones):
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Phase 2 (Major Milestones):
Phase 3 (Major Milestones):
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Gantt Chart: Entire Project with all Tasks and Subtasks
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13.6 TECHNICAL OBJECTIVES
To design, develop and carry out clinical trials for new and innovative ways to save
electricity in United States, based on the fact that information and data will be delivered
to the customers in real time, enabling them to make decision regarding their usage.
Scattered resources of electrical companies such as energy saving tips and information on
the different products can be unified in RMS to give customer a more broad view of tips,
and techniques available to reduce electrical waste. As it is already proven for the
businesses, information to customers about their usage is the key to success in order to
reduce the electrical waste, and it can be accomplished for the home user. The overall
RMS goal is a 15 percent reduction of our electrical resources, leading toward saving
resources, and a decrease in operating costs for the power plants. More awareness is the
answer to deal with the shortage of electricity.
RMS will:
 Use meters, sensors, and software for analyzing data
 Use off the shelf hardware and existing infrastructure as much as possible
 Educate businesses and homeowners on their resource usage patterns
 Provide the utility companies with more detailed usage data in order to better
prepare for the periods of peak demands
Methods for the collection, handling, and storage of electrical usage data:
 Electrical data is already available to power companies in real time through digital
meters, and wireless technologies.
 Study and research methods to transport electrical data from the Power Company
database to RMS. Analyzing the most efficient make the real time data available to
public.
 Storing the data in a way that it would be protected against natural disasters
 Initial system setup that should be able to handle the heavy traffic, and must be able
to process the efficiently. Methods would be studied way to implement the system to
reduce the latency, and ways to reduce too much overhead in bandwidth
 Making the data as secure as possible so it can only be accessed by the actual user.
User end configuration for displaying data





User graphical interface development
Critical Path analysis (customer decides the critical path)
Inform the consumer of peak demand times and government imposed limits
Provide Customers with tips to reduce their electrical usage, based on the data
Centralizing the resources, tips and methods available leading to waste reduction
Predictions for users and Power Companies


Researching in development of methods to evaluate the over usage in a specific area
Identifications of patterns in electrical usage
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
Availability of the future usage , based on the evaluations of patterns, being available
to power companies and public to take actions in reduction
13.7 RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN
1. Marketing Risk: Insufficient Market
Probability: Moderate
Consequence: Severe
Solution: To offer a wide variety of monitoring systems to accommodate the needs and
budgets of different clients. The initial version will concentrate on the electrical utilities
and be initially offered to areas that already have smart meters installed by the utility
company. As the increased population and greater demand on utilities continue to strain
the existing resources, it will reach a point where demand will outpace supply and cause a
shortage crisis. This will force much stricter control over usage habits and provide an
immediate need for resource conservation in which RMS could play a vital role in
educating and assisting consumers in make smart energy use choices. Other resources,
such as water, gas, and oil face similar shortage situations and will be incorporated with
the RMS system.
2. Marketing Risk: Lack of Utility Company Cooperation
Probability: Moderate
Consequence: Severe
Solution: Most utility companies are moving towards AMR systems. The RMS system
is a logical extension of current AMR technology. Based on future projections by the
DOE, electrical utility companies cannot keep up with the projected future demand and
satisfy the needs of its customers. The utility company may be forced to secure power
from outside sources at exorbitant prices or may have to resort to “rolling blackouts” to
counter an over demand. It is only logical that the power company would want
consumers to use the available resources as efficiently as possible in order to keep
demand in check. Without the use of some sort of real-time monitoring system to
monitor usage, this will be very hard to implement. The RMS system fills this role by
informing and educating users of their power usage habits. In the event of total noncooperation from utility companies, RMS will develop systems that can function
independent from the utilities meters. The main draw is the cost of the system will go up
as the client will have to pay for the equipment and installation of the monitoring devices.
3. Legal Risk: Lack of Government Cooperation
Probability: Low
Consequence: Moderate
Solution: RMS will employ lobbyist to gain government support with local, state
governments and federal agencies such as the DOE to mandate energy conservation
measures to avert a future national crisis when electrical demand exceeds the supply.
The RMS system can provide a vital role in energy conservation by supplying users with
real time information and data needed to keep their energy budgets in check with what
the power companies can supply.
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4. Marketing Risk: Competition
Probability: Moderate
Consequence: Moderate
Solution: RMS will offer a wide variety of systems to encompass a larger customer base,
specifically the home market where costs have generally made these types of systems
uncommon.
Most companies that supply a service similar to RMS only concentrate on a few utilities,
or are too expensive for the average homeowner to acquire. By partnering with a utility
that has already incorporated AMR technology, RMS will be affordable to homes,
business, and institutions. RMS will also have the ability to adapt to monitoring other
utilities such as water, gas, and oil.
5. Technical Risk: Non-Approval from Standards Organizations
Probability: Moderate
Consequence: Low
Solution: RMS will use as many existing devices/equipment that are already in
compliance with the various standards.
6. Marketing Risk: Inability to Secure Sufficient Funding
Probability: Moderate
Consequence: Low
Solution: Phase II, the design, development, and refinement of the RMS prototype, is
relatively inexpensive. The ominous energy crisis in the future should provide sufficient
motivation for power utility companies and the DOE to fund projects like RMS in order
to avert a potential national crisis. In conjunction with the DOE and a participating
power company, Phase III of RMS should be attainable.
7. Marketing Risk: Lack or Loss of User Interest in RMS
Probability: Low
Risk: Low
Solution: If financial penalties are imposed for over usage of electricity during periods of
extreme over demand, this should provide sufficient motivation for consumers to user
RMS regularly.
8. Technical Risk: Information overload – Customers may be overwhelmed with
the myriad of data provided
Probability: Fair
Consequence: Moderate
Solution: RMS will format the data in a way that isn’t overwhelming and easy to
understand and apply for users that do not have a technical background.
9. Production Risk: Loss of a Vendor or Equipment Supplier
Probability: Low
Consequence: Low
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Solution: AMR devices are manufactured by numerous companies. The other
components for the RMS are mainly off-the-shelf computer and network devices that are
readily available from many manufacturers.
10. Technical Risk: Information overload – Current AMR network may not be able
to handle the volume of data from large number of customers:
Probability: Moderate
Consequence: Moderate
Solutions: Use technologies such as spread spectrum modulation where the transmitted
bandwidth greater than minimum bandwidth the signal requires. Use meters with ERT’s
(Encoder Receiver Transmitter) in “bubble” mode, where it continuously transmits data.
Use more frequencies to transmit data (AMR’s currently use 952-956MHz, but the FCC
recently approved the 1.4GHz band). Work with a manufacturer of ERT’s to modify
them to store a day’s worth of data, and then transmit once a day instead of every hour.
11. Marketing Risk: Customer must be pro-active in use of RMS
Probability: Moderate
Consequence: Moderate
Solution: RMS will work with power companies and government to use rewards and
penalties to encourage more responsible usage of electricity during peak demand times.
Through the use of lobbyist, RMS will support legislation that assesses over-usage
penalties for customers during times of a critical emergency caused by extreme peak
demand. With the support of the electrical utilities, an energy rebate could be offered to
customers that responsibly use electricity during times of peak demand.
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13.8 REFERENCES
• http://www-hoover.stanford.edu/research/conferences/calelectricity/
• http://www.saudiembassy.net/profile/energy/energy_elec.html
• http://www.eia.doe.gov/
• http://www.hd.org/Damon/photos/natural-science/
• http://www.itron.com/products/product.asp?id=1
• http://www.cs.odu.edu/~cpi/cpi-s2002/flow
• http://www.energy.gov
• http://www.smithmarketing.net
• http://www.dcb.du.edu
• http://www.experian.de
• http://www.dom.com/customer/efficiency/res/index.jsp
• http://www.dom.com/about/environment/envir_rpt/energy_efficiency.jsp
• http://www.nua.ie/surveys/analysis/graphs_charts/1999graphs/us_ad_spend.html
• http://www.amstat.org/sections/srms/brochures/survwhat.html
• About REBA
• AMR Cost
• Analyze Your Home or Business ENERGYguide.com - Lower Your Energy Bills
• Annual Energy Outlook with Projections to 2025 Fig 3
• Annual Energy Outlook with Projections to 2025 Fig 4
• Annual Energy Outlook with Projections to 2025 Fig 5.
• Annual Energy Outlook with Projections to 2025 figures
• Annual Energy Outlook with Projections to 2025
• Automatic Meter Reading by Tom Tamarkin
• Automatic Meter Reading for water, gas and electricity utilities - AT RAMAR
• Badger Meter, Inc. Utility Case Studies-Ad Slicks
• Current Affairs - AMR pilot for water and gas meters [issue 3 2002]
• Data Unplugged Opportunity Knocking, Copyright ) 2001 PUR Inc.
• DOE Building Energy Codes - Home
• dti Energy - Environment - Energy efficiency - Smart metering
• Energy Flow Charts for the United States -- Main
• Energy Information Administration Annual Energy Review 2001
• Foote Parnters Sample Salary Data Tables
• Google Groups View Thread Water meter
• http--www.carilec.com-Assets-Presentations 2001-eng_2001_cuc_hosein.pdf
• http--www.energystar.gov-ia-partners-manuf_res-lowessurvey.pdf
• http--www.medicalogic.com
• http--www.smartsynch.com-pdf-Frost-Sullivan Profile.pdf
• March 4, 2003 - US Drought Monitor
• Network Computing -Reliability Reporting at Florida Power and Light
• New Page 1
• News story Benefits of smart metering in homes recognised
• Open Directory - Business Energy and Environment Utilities Software
• Pepco News Releases
• Resource Monitoring System
• RMS Survey Statistics
• Smart Meters Reporting What, When, and How Much
• SMUD Energy efficient home products
• Status of State Electric Industry Restructuring Activity
• The Business Case for Smart Metering
• The EMS system can also be integrated into Automatic Meter Reading
• TheMeterGuy.Com
• Welcome to SpeedRead
• Welcome to the Edge
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• WHAT IS AMR
• ZDNet Networking and Wireless Solution
Competitors
• http://www.cannontech.com
• http://www.niagramohawk.com
• http://www.atr-group.com/index2.html
• http://www.sotaew.co.uk
• http://www.smartsynch.com/index.asp
• http://www.systems-ecm.com/index.html
• http://www.energycite.com
• http://www.webgensystems.com/mktportal/index.htm
13.9 COMPONENT DIAGRAM
Above is the major functional component diagram of Resource Monitoring System. The
illustrated diagram shows how the actual real time data is currently being transferred
from the commercial and noncommercial sector to the electrical companies. The data is
being transferred over a wireless network using automated meters. Electric companies
will then transfer the data to the RMS database servers. From here the public would be
able to access the information about their electricity using a web based application. A
user then would be able to make appropriate decisions on their use and steps they can
take to reduce their waste.
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14.0 SURVEY RESULTS AND ANALYSIS
RMS presented a survey in order to determine the not only the initial market, but also to
know the expectations of customers from the electric company. Survey was unscientific,
question upon which our project really depends. Beneath given are significant questions
found in survey, results, and conclusion formed by RMS based on responses.
Question #1: It was nearly and even split between home owners and renters.
Question #2: Due to the fact that RMS would work closely with homes and businesses, this question is
significant due to our initial market. RMS would include both businesses and homeowners as an initial
market.
Question #3: Close to 90 percent of the people accepted that cost of utilities was an important issue or
somewhat important issue. Utility expenses are important to people, but there is nothing to help them
understand what is the actual resource usage, and how to eliminate waste. Knowing the actual problem is
the key to saving energy.
Question #4: The public wants to know what resources they are using - what they are paying for, and how
can they reduce their expenses based on their use. Currently most believe the power company about their
usage. Usage data is not updated till maybe couple of months later, and it is obsolete due to the changing
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weather conditions. RMS will provide customers with their account information and usage on the account.
Users will be able to set their own standards and monitor their usage in real time.
Question #5: More than 82 percent users are willing to pick Power Company “A” over Power Company
“B” due to availability of real time data. If there is competition, in a given area, power companies will do
anything to attract more customers. It would not only save customers a lot of money, it would be really
beneficial for power company itself.
Question #6: Over 90 percent of the people would like to monitor their electricity usage, and more than 76
percent would like to monitor their water bill. Current increase in electric bill, and water bill , due to
drought, might be the biggest reasons for these results. RMS initial target is electricity, and then other
resources would be implemented later into the system to form a complete customer package.
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Question #7: RMS will offer the complete list of services, listed above. RMS is a way to organize all of
your utility expenses in order to analyze usage data, for future references.
Question #8: Interest in RMS dropped if a significant charge was applied for this service. Clearly, this
service must be done as inexpensively as possible to gain support from the general public.
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Question #9: The RMS contract will be direct with the power companies. An estimated prediction cost of
the system is less than a dollar, which eventually ends up being free. Mailing expense would be eliminated,
equalizing the cost to almost nothing at the user end. Power companies would reduce a lot of the
monitoring, billing and processing expenses, and may end up giving incentives to customers proactive in
RMS.
Question #10: The majority of our RMS survey responses were in the age range of 18-45.
Question #11: The survey respondents were spread out from a wide salary range.
Question #12: Users know they are wasting resources, but they are unable to find where it is being wasted
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and what they can do about it. Information on saving tips is available, but it is not conveniently located all
in one place. Awareness of the problem would help us a lot in solving the problem.
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