Integrating information systems in electric utilities

The paper presents an integration system, ISIS, developed for electric utilities, on top of which decision support tools can be cost-effectively developed and integrated with other information systems commonly present in electric utilities. The system, called the Integrated Distribution Management System (IDMS), provides an easily configurable integration framework, and currently includes one decision support tool, a diagnostics component. The diagnostics component, called the Outage Restoration Management Server (ORMS) is integrated with other information systems via a flexible, extensible integration framework (IF), based on model integrated computing (MIC) technology developed at the Institute for Software Integrated Systems (ISIS). The IF was designed such that 1) the integration between the decision support tools and the utility information system can be easily maintained, and 2) additional decision support tools can be created and integrated into the IDMS quickly and inexpensively. The MIC based IF provides a flexible and extensible integration platform on which can be built a suite of decision support tools that will help utilities run their businesses more effectively and efficiently.