Monitoring and Analysis of Power Line Failures: An Example of the Role of GIS

Abstract

This chapter presents a case study on the role of geographical information systems in power utility automation. It argues that geographical information systems are ideal software components for enterprise-wide application integration, data and asset management, and decision support applications. The authors believe that advances in industrial software applications are predominantly realized through stepwise integration and extension of existing systems. A case study on a monitoring application for power lines serves as example for this thesis. Furthermore, the authors hope that understanding technical and economic conditions governing the field of industrial automation helps readers in appreciating that software development and integration strategies are strongly linked to organizational and structural changes in the power utility industry.