Press Release

EPRI CCAPI Project Begins Interoperability Testing

Electric utility software vendors will exchange XML versions of the Common Information Model (CIM) to demonstrate interoperability of products based on the CIM standard

Palo Alto, November 20, 2000:

On December 18-19 in Orlando, Florida, several software vendors serving the electric utility industry will meet to test the capability of their software products to exchange and correctly interpret power system model data based on the CIM as defined in the draft IEC 61970-301 CIM standard. The EPRI-sponsored tests will validate that the products comply with the XML version of the CIM now being advanced as an international standard. This is an important milestone in the CCAPI project and is the first in a series of planned interoperability tests that will demonstrate additional CCAPI capabilities.

These interoperability tests address an important industry requirement established by NERC to be able to transfer power system model data between Security Coordinators based on the CIM. NERC has mandated the use of the Resource Description Framework (RDF) as the XML schema/syntax for the CIM as defined in the draft IEC 61970-501 CIM RDF Schema standard. These tests will validate the use of this draft standard for this purpose.

Test Objectives

The objectives of the proposed interoperability tests and demonstrations are:

  1. Demonstrate interoperability between different vendor products based on the CIM. Current planned participants include suppliers for EMS software ABB, ALSTOM ESCA, CIM-Logic, Langdale Consultants, PsyCor, Siemens, and SISCO. Other vendors may be added later. Xtensible Solutions will witness and validate the test results.

  2. Verify compliance with the CIM for those CIM classes/attributes involved in the information exchanges supported by the tests.

  3. Demonstrate the exchange of power system models using an XML-serialization of the CIM with an RDF Schema.

  4. Validate the correctness and completeness of IEC CIM draft standards, resulting in higher quality standards by removing discrepancies and clarifying ambiguities.

  5. Provide the basis for a more formal interoperability and compliance test suite development for CCAPI standards.

Attendance at the interoperability tests will be limited to the test participants. However, an EPRI technical report will be made available to the public that documents the test procedures, the contents of the power system model files exchanged, the participant’s products that were tested, and the test results.