A Normative-Descriptive Model of a Power System Dispatcher in Emergency Situations

Results of an ongoing analytic and field survey-interview approach to modeling the monitoring, information-processing, and decisionmaking behavior of a power system dispatcher in emergency situations is described. During power emergencies the dispatcher is characteristically faced with information overload, high stakes, and limited decision time. The field survey-interview provides valuable insights into a dispatcher´s mental model of the power system, information sources, action priorities, and planning horizon. Salient common features across dispatchers of their problem solving and decisionmaking responses for various power disturbances is also revealed. These findings are incorporated into an analytic framework based on behavioral decision theory and cognitive science to produce a normative-descriptive model of dispatcher behavior. The model´s predictions of dispatcher performance and model validation through interviewing form the next phase of the effort.