ADSM-an automated distribution system modeling tool for engineering analyses

Designing and operating the distribution system efficiently and economically requires distribution engineers to perform various analytical studies frequently. The system models for these analyses are derived from the information residing in diverse utility databases. One major problem in utilizing these databases is the data mismatch due to different software specifications and hardware platforms. This means additional effort is required to transform data among these systems before engineers can perform any distribution system analyses. The Automated Distribution System Modeler (ADSM) developed jointly at the University of Washington (UW) and Puget Sound Power and Light Co. (PSPL) provides an automated approach for the distribution system modeling. This software tool builds a unified distribution system model automatically from the utility databases and provides a generic interface to various engineering analysis tools. This paper describes the object-oriented design concept of such a tool and discusses the merits of the geographic information system (GIS) environment used as a platform for ADSM