The Ecologic Meter Data Management System Delivers with CIM-Compliant Interfaces

The Ecologic Analytics solution leads with Smart Grid interoperability standards endorsed by NIST and the DOE

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - Dec. 17, 2009: Ecologic Analytics, a leading provider of meter data management systems for the Smart Grid, is among the first MDMS providers to deliver a solution with native interfaces based on International Electrotechnical Commission’s (IEC) 61968 Part 9. The interfaces support the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Smart Grid interoperability requirements and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) obligations. By taking a strong Common Information Model (CIM)-based approach for its native interface design, the Ecologic MDMS is directly aligned with the Smart Grid requirements established by NIST and the DOE.

“NIST issued a broad-based plan this fall to bring end-to-end interoperability to the Smart Grid through the use of standards,” said David Hubbard, co-founder and chief technology officer of Ecologic Analytics. “By proactively supporting these standards within our MDMS, our customers receive not only greater end-to-end interoperability and streamlined options for immediate and future integration, but also off-the-shelf compliance with Smart Grid Investment Grant programs.”

The Ecologic MDMS CIM-based interfaces adhere to the recently ratified IEC 61968-9 standard, which is responsible for two distinct areas of application – meter reading and meter control. As one of the most active MDMS providers in the IEC working group, Ecologic Analytics is assisting the group in defining similar Smart Grid standards for the Home Area Network (HAN) and back office system interoperability.

Meter Reading and Control for the New Millennium

The following example illustrates the functionality provided by the native MDMS IEC Part 9 interfaces. Using only the meter identifier, the utility back office system initiates an IEC-Part 9-compliant call to the Ecologic MDMS and remotely performs a demand reset, a remote disconnect and/or other remote operations. The Ecologic MDMS then fulfills the request seamlessly, without the utility back office system needing to understand the identity of or any of the nuances of the AMI system on which the Smart Meter of interest resides. As a highly scalable operational hub and point of adjudication for the enterprise, the Ecologic MDMS brokers these commands and implements the business logic to complete these requests in near real time. Confirmation of success and validation of results or notification of error conditions are then returned to the utility back office system, again using IEC-Part 9-compliant messages.

“The stimulus package is inspiring innovation across our industry, which is accelerating the transformation of many systems and processes within our customers’ environments. The only way to ensure end-to-end success as new solutions come to market will be through standards adoption,” Hubbard added.

Home Area Network Interoperability that Enables Energy Program Participation

The new interfaces within the Ecologic MDMS also enable seamless operation with Home Area Network (HAN) devices. Using the meter identifier or service point identifier to which the HAN device is associated, the MDMS will route the proper commands to provision and de-provision in-home devices and to send messages, pricing information or demand response and load control commands to the HAN devices. In addition, the Ecologic MDMS provides robust support for the ZigBee Smart Energy Profile standard being deployed by many personal energy management providers today, enabling consumers to participate in the pricing events and utilities to reduce peak loads and preserve the environment through increased efficiency and execution of energy conservation programs.

According to the DOE, increasing the efficiency of the power grid by just 5 percent would be the same as permanently removing the fuel and green house emissions from 53 million cars¹.

Enabling greater efficiency with the standards-based Ecologic MDMS offers many tangible benefits for Ecologic Analytics’ customers and the consumers served within their service territories. A few examples are:

• Standardized two-way communications between Smart Meter/HAN devices and utility back office systems, providing near-real-time analysis on consumers’ power consumption
• Support for a wide-variety of energy conservation and peak load limiting initiatives through IEC CIM-based messages containing current price information, demand response program and load control information to customers in near real time
• Optimized Smart Grid operations that quickly detect power losses, smartly scope the outage size and location, aid in restoring power and verifying restoration activity quickly and efficiently

The Ecologic MDMS with Smart Grid ready interfaces is available now. For more information .

About Ecologic Analytics

Ecologic Analytics, LLC is a leading provider of meter data management systems (MDMS) for electric, natural gas and water utilities. Ecologic Analytics offers a flexible, configurable and highly scalable enterprise software solution that receives data from any AMI/AMR system and/or manual source, supporting the dynamic operational and business processes needed for smart grid initiatives. Founded in 2000, the company is headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Media Contact Information

Matt Schwarz
Director of Marketing Communications
Ecologic Analytics, LLC
Phone: (952) 843-6043
Fax: (612) 395-5535

Footnote¹: U.S. Department of Energy, The Smart Grid: an Introduction, 2008

Note: To view and use the contact e-mail link above, JavaScript ("active scripting") must be enabled in your browser

< Back to Press Releases