Ecologic Analytics, LLC, which was originally known as WACS, is a leading provider of meter data management (MDM) systems for electric, natural gas and water utilities. Since its incorporation in 2000, it has been delivering technologies that enable the production and distribution of energy more efficiently.
The timeline below briefly highlights the company's history; click on any item to view the details, or click here to expand all items.
Ecologic Analytics, then known as Wireless Applications & Consulting Services, LLC (or WACS), incorporates with the goal of providing Automated Meter Reading (AMR) energy data management software and services to help utilities maximize the value of their AMR systems for electricity, gas, and water. Its founders' backgrounds include utility meter engineering, utility information services for metering and billing systems, and AMR vendor utility integration systems.
Ecologic Analytics performs a strategic analysis of the use of automated meter reading (AMR) data at Puget Sound Energy (PSE), a large investor-owned utility based in Bellevue, Washington. It recommends a phased approach to develop an enterprise-wide Meter Data Management System (MDMS) and associated advanced applications.
Ecologic Analytics later implements the first phase of its strategic recommendation - a Meter Data Management System (MDMS) that is capable of storing at least one read for every automated meter every day for PSE's 1.7 million automated gas and electric meters as well as related customer, account, and service point data. The system performs basic validations on the data and provides the billing system with access to daily energy usage information.
Ecologic Analytics deploys an enhanced version of its Meter Data Repository and additional components of its Meter Data Management System (MDMS) at Puget Sound Energy (PSE). Features include key performance and scalability enhancements and infrastructure changes to incorporate and manage diagnostic information from the varying AMR systems, enhanced data loading processes, and monitoring and reporting on the performance of PSE's nearly 1.7 million automated electric and gas meters.
In addition, Ecologic Analytics deploys its Network Performance Module (NPM) and Automated Validation Engine (WAVE™). The NPM and WAVE modules provide additional monitoring, validation, estimating, and editing functionality to MDMS. Part of the NPM module includes a web-based reporting tool to enable authorized users to run standard reports and queries against the meter data repository.
Ecologic Analytics enhances its Meter Data Management System (MDMS) by deploying a new gateway module that integrates Datamatic Hand Held meter reading data with the enterprise Meter Data Repository already implemented at Puget Sound Energy (PSE). Further, Ecologic Analytics introduces the Ecologic Analytics iWAVE™ module, which provides PSE with the capability to validate, estimate, and edit interval data. Interval data collected from over 6,500 meters at PSE are now validated through MDMS alongside the 1.7 million daily meter reads already being validated with WAVE™
Ecologic Analytics completes implementation of its Outage Validation and Restoration Engine at Puget Sound Energy (PSE), Washington state's largest and oldest energy utility. The Outage Validation and Restoration Engine (OVE/RE) is an advanced application component of the Ecologic Analytics Meter Data Management System (MDMS). This new application helps PSE reduce costs by validating outage information and verifying restorations using the infrastructure of their automated meter reading system. This module also assists PSE in tracking storm damage and responding to outages more quickly and reliably.
Ecologic Analytics deploys additional advanced applications that augment its flagship Meter Data Management (MDMS) products at Puget Sound Energy (PSE). This is the final phase of the plan to implement an MDMS that allows PSE to use the data collected from its automated meter reading system throughout the enterprise and to assist with business decisions that benefit from understanding how energy is used throughout PSE's service territories. The MDMS consists of a foundational meter data repository and a suite of advanced applications with interfaces to many meter reading sources and many utility back-end office systems including billing and outage management systems.
The latest additions include an integrated engine for generating field service orders when events of interest are detected through monitoring the meter reading data and the alerts the automated modules are capable of providing; enhancements to the VEE (validation, estimation, and editing) components of the WAVE™ and iWAVE™ validation modules; the addition of a module that manages on-demand requests and responses such as status checks and on-demand reads; and upgrades to the Navigator user interface and the Outage Validation and Restoration Verification Engine.
IBM completes a major 10 million meter scalability test verifying that the Ecologic Analytics Meter Data Management System (MDMS) can handle large transaction volumes for Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) projects at utilities with large numbers of customers and high volume data requirements. The test required three major steps:
The loading and processing of meter reading files containing daily meter reading data for five million gas meters and five million electric meters in the format used by a leading AMI vendor.
The VEE (validating, editing and estimating) of that data using Ecologic Analytics' WAVE™ (automated validation engine) module.
The extraction of billing files in the format required by a leading customer billing system.
The test was performed on a database that was pre-populated with core customer, account, service point, and meter data for each of the 10 million test meter end points. Daily processing times easily met the target processing window used in the test; the Ecologic Analytics MDMS completed the five-hour objective in less than 90 minutes, averaging just 30 percent of the targeted time.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), located in California and one of the largest combination natural gas and electric utilities in the United States, names Ecologic Analytics as the vendor that will provide the fully integrated Meter Data Management System (MDMS) for PG&E's Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Project. The implementation will see the Ecologic Analytics MDMS system as the central system managing communications and transmission of data by and between the AMI vendor meter reading systems and PG&E utility back-office systems such as asset management, customer information, work management, engineering, and outage management systems.
The MDMS is a key component of the larger effort by PG&E to deploy advanced automated meter reading capability and two-way communications to all 9.3 million meters (5.1 miilion electric and 4.2 million gas) in the PG&E service territory and, further, to reap the associated benefits of that deployment.
Ecologic Analytics releases Meter Data Management System (MDMS) version 2.0. This release includes updates to Meter Reading Analytics (MRA), Meter Data Repository (MDR), Meter Reading Manager (MRM), the Comparison Report tool, and the Navigator user interface. The release also adds three additional gateways that provide support for the receipt and storage of meter readings acquired by Itron's Premierplus4™ (PP4) Windows-based meter reading devices, Hexagram's STAR® Network AMI system, and DCSI's TWACS® Network Gateway (TNG) AMI system.
Also included is a new interface to receive critical peak pricing (CPP) event notification from the utility's customer information system, along with changes to Ecologic Analytics' iWAVE™ module to support CPP validation, estimation, and editing.
Bayard Group, a leading global investor since 2002 in energy measurement and efficiency technologies with operations in 30 countries, makes a minority investment in Ecologic Analytics.
