As many utilities have elected to deploy advanced metering systems and millions of new solid-state, microprocessor based end-points with communications under glass, there has been a dramatic shift in the approach to qualifying and certifying electricity meters.
This presentation will highlight the need for a rigorous approach to meter certification as well as continued testing as both the meter and the communication module and the firmware to run both are upgraded and changed over the course of deployment.
Examples of issues which have arisen over the course of various deployments along with varying approaches to and interpretations of the same ANSI tests by manufacturers will be discussed.
Presented at the Southeastern Electricity Metering Association (SEMA). 11/2013
This presentation will highlight the need for a rigorous approach to meter certification as well as continued testing as both the meter and the communication module and the firmware to run both are upgraded and changed over the course of deployment.
Presented at the North Carolina Electric Meter School. 6/2013
As many utilities have elected to deploy advanced metering systems and millions of new solid-state, microprocessor based end-points with communications under glass, a dramatic shift has begun regarding where metering resources are being deployed and what they are doing.
This presentation will highlight the new value proposition for metering personnel at their respective utility companies in a post-AMI World.
Examples of issues which have arisen or been identified over the course of various deployments and in the immediate aftermath of an AMI deployment.
Presented at the Fall EDA 2014 Conference.
As many utilities have elected to deploy advanced metering systems and millions of new solid-state, microprocessor based end-points with communications under glass, a dramatic shift has begun regarding where metering resources are being deployed and what they are doing.
This presentation will highlight the new value proposition for metering personnel at their respective utility companies in a post-AMI World.
Examples of issues which have arisen or been identified over the course of various deployment
Discuss the differences between functional and accuracy testing
Discuss the types of functional testing required in a post-AMI world
Discuss the need for functional testing as well as Certification or FAT testing (first article testing)
Highlights of the new value proposition for metering personnel at their respective utility companies in a post-AMI world. Examples of issues which have arisen or been identified over the course of various deployments and in the immediate aftermath of an AMI deployment. 6/2014.
This presentation will highlight the need for a rigorous approach to meter certification as well as continued testing as both the meter and the communication module and the firmware to run both are upgraded and changed over the course of deployment.
Presented at the North Carolina Electric Meter School. 6/2013
As many utilities have elected to deploy advanced metering systems and millions of new solid-state, microprocessor based end-points with communications under glass, a dramatic shift has begun regarding where metering resources are being deployed and what they are doing.
This presentation will highlight the new value proposition for metering personnel at their respective utility companies in a post-AMI World.
Examples of issues which have arisen or been identified over the course of various deployments and in the immediate aftermath of an AMI deployment.
Presented at the Fall EDA 2014 Conference.
As many utilities have elected to deploy advanced metering systems and millions of new solid-state, microprocessor based end-points with communications under glass, a dramatic shift has begun regarding where metering resources are being deployed and what they are doing.
This presentation will highlight the new value proposition for metering personnel at their respective utility companies in a post-AMI World.
Examples of issues which have arisen or been identified over the course of various deployment
Discuss the differences between functional and accuracy testing
Discuss the types of functional testing required in a post-AMI world
Discuss the need for functional testing as well as Certification or FAT testing (first article testing)
Highlights of the new value proposition for metering personnel at their respective utility companies in a post-AMI world. Examples of issues which have arisen or been identified over the course of various deployments and in the immediate aftermath of an AMI deployment. 6/2014.
Highlights of the new value proposition for metering personnel at their respective utility companies in a post-AMI world. Examples of issues which have arisen or been identified over the course of various deployments and in the immediate aftermath of an AMI deployment. Presented at the North Carolina Electric Meter School. 6/2013
Highlights of the new value proposition for metering personnel at their respective utility companies in a post-AMI world. Examples of issues which have arisen or been identified over the course of various deployments and in the immediate aftermath of an AMI deployment. 11/2014
Bjarne Mansson - Risk-based Testing,A Must For Medical Devices - EuroSTAR 2010TEST Huddle
EuroSTAR Software Testing Conference 2010 presentation on Risk-based Testing,A Must For Medical Devices by Bjarne Mansson .
See more at: http://conference.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/past-presentations/
Michael Snyman - Software Test Automation Success TEST Huddle
EuroSTAR Software Testing Conference 2009 presentation on Software Test Automation Success by Michael Snyman. See more at conferences.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/past-presentations/
Questions for successful test automation projectsDaniel Ionita
Test automation is not only about coding. Successful test automation involves critical thinking and clarity of objectives before actually beginning development. This material provides guidance in putting some of the right questions and how to think as for having an efficient and effective test automation in the context of your project.
Ian Smith - Mobile Software Testing - Facing Future ChallengesTEST Huddle
EuroSTAR Software Testing Conference 2008 presentation on Mobile Software Testing by Ian Smith. See more at conferences.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/past-presentations/
Verification and validation process in software testingpooja deshmukh
Students are often confused between the verification and validation process, as far as Software Testing is concerned. Let us initially define both the processes.
Atos Origin - Testing - An Olympic ChallengeTEST Huddle
EuroSTAR Software Testing Conference 2008 presentation on Testing - An Olympic Challenge by Atos Origin. See more at conferences.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/past-presentations/
TESCO has been involved with metering for more than 100 years. Our focus has always been on the needs of metering, with a wide range of software, test equipment, and tools.
Meter Manager is the result of more than 20 years of experience creating software for electric and gas utilities. Meter Manager has been designed from the ground up to meet your needs not only today, but in the future as well. It is built with state-of-art tools and modern software architecture. Our software continues to grow, with new and expanded features, all of which are made available to all of our customers.
Highlights of the new value proposition for metering personnel at their respective utility companies in a post-AMI world. Examples of issues which have arisen or been identified over the course of various deployments and in the immediate aftermath of an AMI deployment. Presented at the North Carolina Electric Meter School. 6/2013
Highlights of the new value proposition for metering personnel at their respective utility companies in a post-AMI world. Examples of issues which have arisen or been identified over the course of various deployments and in the immediate aftermath of an AMI deployment. 11/2014
Bjarne Mansson - Risk-based Testing,A Must For Medical Devices - EuroSTAR 2010TEST Huddle
EuroSTAR Software Testing Conference 2010 presentation on Risk-based Testing,A Must For Medical Devices by Bjarne Mansson .
See more at: http://conference.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/past-presentations/
Michael Snyman - Software Test Automation Success TEST Huddle
EuroSTAR Software Testing Conference 2009 presentation on Software Test Automation Success by Michael Snyman. See more at conferences.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/past-presentations/
Questions for successful test automation projectsDaniel Ionita
Test automation is not only about coding. Successful test automation involves critical thinking and clarity of objectives before actually beginning development. This material provides guidance in putting some of the right questions and how to think as for having an efficient and effective test automation in the context of your project.
Ian Smith - Mobile Software Testing - Facing Future ChallengesTEST Huddle
EuroSTAR Software Testing Conference 2008 presentation on Mobile Software Testing by Ian Smith. See more at conferences.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/past-presentations/
Verification and validation process in software testingpooja deshmukh
Students are often confused between the verification and validation process, as far as Software Testing is concerned. Let us initially define both the processes.
Atos Origin - Testing - An Olympic ChallengeTEST Huddle
EuroSTAR Software Testing Conference 2008 presentation on Testing - An Olympic Challenge by Atos Origin. See more at conferences.eurostarsoftwaretesting.com/past-presentations/
TESCO has been involved with metering for more than 100 years. Our focus has always been on the needs of metering, with a wide range of software, test equipment, and tools.
Meter Manager is the result of more than 20 years of experience creating software for electric and gas utilities. Meter Manager has been designed from the ground up to meet your needs not only today, but in the future as well. It is built with state-of-art tools and modern software architecture. Our software continues to grow, with new and expanded features, all of which are made available to all of our customers.
Over much of the 20th century, utilities, regulators and customers each relied upon lab and field meter testing efforts which were primarily focused upon the accuracy of the watt-hour meter and demand register.
This focus is now changing with overwhelming deployment of electronic meters and significant deployment of AMR and AMI meters throughout the installed base in North America.
The focus has now shifted to the metering installation as a whole and not the accuracy of the meter.
This presentation will go through the history of the electric meter, dating back to 1802 and noting significant visionaries who helped play a part in the evolution of the meter as we see it today.
This presentation will give you an understanding of self contained and transformer rated current transformers. You will also discuss meter testing, CT testing, ratio & burden testing.
Customers always have the right to request a meter test.
Some utilities and some jurisdictions allow for testing at the customer site, others require a test in a laboratory environment.
Some allow the customer to witness the test and others require the utility commission to witness the test.
Utilities must show that the meter tests well and must demonstrate that they have a test program in place to ensure the meters in service are performing well.
This presentation will demonstrate:
Why do we test?
How do we test?
What types of meter tests are there?
How do utility tests differ from customer request tests?
What is In-Service Testing?
How do we know meter tests are good?
What do we do with the test data?
As many utilities have elected to deploy advanced metering systems and millions of new solid-state, microprocessor based end-points with communications under glass, a dramatic shift has begun regarding where metering resources are being deployed and what they are doing.
This presentation will highlight the new value proposition for metering personnel at their respective utility companies in this AMI dominated World.
Examples of issues which have arisen or been identified over the course of various deployments and in the immediate aftermath of an AMI deployment.
Hot Sockets are not a new phenomenon. Virtually every meter man has pulled a meter with a portion of the meter base around a blade melted and virtually every utility has been called to assist in the investigation of a fire at a meter box.
AMI deployments, because of the volume of meters involved put a spot light on this issue.
What causes a hot socket?
Are the meters ever the cause of a meter box failure?
What are the things to look for when inspecting an existing meter installation?
What are the best practices for handling potential hot sockets?
This presentation will cover the results of our lab investigation into the sources for hot sockets, the development of a fixture to simulate hot sockets, the tests and data gleaned from hot sockets, and a discussion of “best practices” regarding hot sockets.
Understand contents of ANSI C12.20-2010 for 0.2 and 0.5 Accuracy Class Meters.
Understand the Relationship of C12.20 to C12.1.
Understand ANSI C12.20 Changes Planned for 2015. Edition and ANSI C12.1 changes planned for 2014.
Understand new ANSI C12.29 for Field Testing and potential time frame.
Discuss – Will this affect how we test in the field?
Throughout this presentation you will learn to understand customer concerns about Smart Meters and AMI meters. You will also be able to respond as a Utility and as a Utility Worker.
Highlights of the new value proposition for metering personnel at their respective utility companies in a post-AMI world. Examples of issues which have arisen or been identified over the course of various deployments and in the immediate aftermath of an AMI deployment.
This presentation discusses testing protocols, pitfalls and other solutions developed by various utilities who have gone through the stages of AMI Deployment. Equipment and systems used for this type of testing is also covered. 06/25/2019
This presentation was given during the New York State Meter Engineers Electric Metering Conference and discussed testing protocols, pitfalls, and other solutions developed by various utilities who have gone through the stages of AMI Deployment. Also discussed in this presentation is the equipment used to handle the types of testing used for AMI Deployment. 04.17.19
As many utilities have elected to deploy advanced metering systems and millions of new solid-state, microprocessor based end-points with communications under glass, a dramatic shift has begun regarding where metering resources are being deployed and what they are doing.This presentation will highlight the new value proposition for metering personnel at their respective utility companies in a post-AMI World.
Examples of issues which have arisen or been identified over the course of various deployments and in the immediate aftermath of an AMI deployment.
This presentation shows how meter farms are a new tool for managing AMI meter populations and testing continuously evolving communication technology in a post deployment world.
As many utilities have elected to deploy advanced metering systems and millions of new solid-state, microprocessor based end-points with communications under glass, a dramatic shift has begun regarding where metering resources are being deployed and what they are doing.
This presentation will highlight the new value proposition for metering personnel at their respective utility companies in a post-AMI World.
Examples of issues which have arisen or been identified over the course of various deployments and in the immediate aftermath of an AMI deployment.
Presented at the Mid-South Electric Metering Association 2015.
As many utilities have elected to deploy advanced metering systems and millions of new solid-state, microprocessor based end-points with communications under glass, a dramatic shift has begun regarding where metering resources are being deployed and what they are doing.
This presentation will highlight the new value proposition for metering personnel at their respective utility companies in a post-AMI World.
Examples of issues which have arisen or been identified over the course of various deployments and in the immediate aftermath of an AMI deployment.
This presentation discusses TESCO's products and services to assist with AMI deployment. Discover what to expect before, during, and after AMI deployment and how TESCO works with you throughout the entire process.
As many utilities have elected to deploy advanced metering systems and millions of new solid-state, microprocessor based end-points with communications under glass, a dramatic shift has begun regarding where metering resources are being deployed and what they are doing.
This presentation will highlight the new value proposition for metering personnel at their respective utility companies in a post-AMI World.
Examples of issues which have arisen or been identified over the course of various deployments and in the immediate aftermath of an AMI deployment.
This presentation covers the basics of meter testing including why we test; how to test; types of meter tests; how utility tests differ from customer request tests; in-service testing; and what to do with the test data—presented at NC Meter School 2022.
This presentation examines how AMI data, the collection of this data and the creation of tools to use of this data have dramatically changed and is continuing to change metering operations. We will look at some of the challenges we are facing as we learn how to do business most effectively with this information and these tools.
This presentation was given at MEUA Meter School and gives attendees an introduction to meter testing. Topics covered include: why do we test; how do we test; field testing; complaint testing; general meter testing requirements; new meter testing programs; return to service testing; in-service testing; statistical test plans; tracking meter records, and more! 03/03.20
This presentation covers the basics of meter testing including: why we test; how to test; types of meter tests; how utility tests differ from customer request tests; in-service testing; and what to do with the test data. 06/26/2019
Alt. GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using ...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
Pushing the limits of ePRTC: 100ns holdover for 100 daysAdtran
At WSTS 2024, Alon Stern explored the topic of parametric holdover and explained how recent research findings can be implemented in real-world PNT networks to achieve 100 nanoseconds of accuracy for up to 100 days.
Maruthi Prithivirajan, Head of ASEAN & IN Solution Architecture, Neo4j
Get an inside look at the latest Neo4j innovations that enable relationship-driven intelligence at scale. Learn more about the newest cloud integrations and product enhancements that make Neo4j an essential choice for developers building apps with interconnected data and generative AI.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of technologies, XML continues to play a vital role in structuring, storing, and transporting data across diverse systems. The recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) present new methodologies for enhancing XML development workflows, introducing efficiency, automation, and intelligent capabilities. This presentation will outline the scope and perspective of utilizing AI in XML development. The potential benefits and the possible pitfalls will be highlighted, providing a balanced view of the subject.
We will explore the capabilities of AI in understanding XML markup languages and autonomously creating structured XML content. Additionally, we will examine the capacity of AI to enrich plain text with appropriate XML markup. Practical examples and methodological guidelines will be provided to elucidate how AI can be effectively prompted to interpret and generate accurate XML markup.
Further emphasis will be placed on the role of AI in developing XSLT, or schemas such as XSD and Schematron. We will address the techniques and strategies adopted to create prompts for generating code, explaining code, or refactoring the code, and the results achieved.
The discussion will extend to how AI can be used to transform XML content. In particular, the focus will be on the use of AI XPath extension functions in XSLT, Schematron, Schematron Quick Fixes, or for XML content refactoring.
The presentation aims to deliver a comprehensive overview of AI usage in XML development, providing attendees with the necessary knowledge to make informed decisions. Whether you’re at the early stages of adopting AI or considering integrating it in advanced XML development, this presentation will cover all levels of expertise.
By highlighting the potential advantages and challenges of integrating AI with XML development tools and languages, the presentation seeks to inspire thoughtful conversation around the future of XML development. We’ll not only delve into the technical aspects of AI-powered XML development but also discuss practical implications and possible future directions.
Removing Uninteresting Bytes in Software FuzzingAftab Hussain
Imagine a world where software fuzzing, the process of mutating bytes in test seeds to uncover hidden and erroneous program behaviors, becomes faster and more effective. A lot depends on the initial seeds, which can significantly dictate the trajectory of a fuzzing campaign, particularly in terms of how long it takes to uncover interesting behaviour in your code. We introduce DIAR, a technique designed to speedup fuzzing campaigns by pinpointing and eliminating those uninteresting bytes in the seeds. Picture this: instead of wasting valuable resources on meaningless mutations in large, bloated seeds, DIAR removes the unnecessary bytes, streamlining the entire process.
In this work, we equipped AFL, a popular fuzzer, with DIAR and examined two critical Linux libraries -- Libxml's xmllint, a tool for parsing xml documents, and Binutil's readelf, an essential debugging and security analysis command-line tool used to display detailed information about ELF (Executable and Linkable Format). Our preliminary results show that AFL+DIAR does not only discover new paths more quickly but also achieves higher coverage overall. This work thus showcases how starting with lean and optimized seeds can lead to faster, more comprehensive fuzzing campaigns -- and DIAR helps you find such seeds.
- These are slides of the talk given at IEEE International Conference on Software Testing Verification and Validation Workshop, ICSTW 2022.
GraphRAG is All You need? LLM & Knowledge GraphGuy Korland
Guy Korland, CEO and Co-founder of FalkorDB, will review two articles on the integration of language models with knowledge graphs.
1. Unifying Large Language Models and Knowledge Graphs: A Roadmap.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.08302
2. Microsoft Research's GraphRAG paper and a review paper on various uses of knowledge graphs:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/graphrag-unlocking-llm-discovery-on-narrative-private-data/
How to Get CNIC Information System with Paksim Ga.pptxdanishmna97
Pakdata Cf is a groundbreaking system designed to streamline and facilitate access to CNIC information. This innovative platform leverages advanced technology to provide users with efficient and secure access to their CNIC details.
Threats to mobile devices are more prevalent and increasing in scope and complexity. Users of mobile devices desire to take full advantage of the features
available on those devices, but many of the features provide convenience and capability but sacrifice security. This best practices guide outlines steps the users can take to better protect personal devices and information.
Encryption in Microsoft 365 - ExpertsLive Netherlands 2024Albert Hoitingh
In this session I delve into the encryption technology used in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Purview. Including the concepts of Customer Key and Double Key Encryption.
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
GraphSummit Singapore | The Future of Agility: Supercharging Digital Transfor...Neo4j
Leonard Jayamohan, Partner & Generative AI Lead, Deloitte
This keynote will reveal how Deloitte leverages Neo4j’s graph power for groundbreaking digital twin solutions, achieving a staggering 100x performance boost. Discover the essential role knowledge graphs play in successful generative AI implementations. Plus, get an exclusive look at an innovative Neo4j + Generative AI solution Deloitte is developing in-house.
Communications Mining Series - Zero to Hero - Session 1DianaGray10
This session provides introduction to UiPath Communication Mining, importance and platform overview. You will acquire a good understand of the phases in Communication Mining as we go over the platform with you. Topics covered:
• Communication Mining Overview
• Why is it important?
• How can it help today’s business and the benefits
• Phases in Communication Mining
• Demo on Platform overview
• Q/A
Generative AI Deep Dive: Advancing from Proof of Concept to ProductionAggregage
Join Maher Hanafi, VP of Engineering at Betterworks, in this new session where he'll share a practical framework to transform Gen AI prototypes into impactful products! He'll delve into the complexities of data collection and management, model selection and optimization, and ensuring security, scalability, and responsible use.
In his public lecture, Christian Timmerer provides insights into the fascinating history of video streaming, starting from its humble beginnings before YouTube to the groundbreaking technologies that now dominate platforms like Netflix and ORF ON. Timmerer also presents provocative contributions of his own that have significantly influenced the industry. He concludes by looking at future challenges and invites the audience to join in a discussion.
GraphSummit Singapore | The Art of the Possible with Graph - Q2 2024Neo4j
Neha Bajwa, Vice President of Product Marketing, Neo4j
Join us as we explore breakthrough innovations enabled by interconnected data and AI. Discover firsthand how organizations use relationships in data to uncover contextual insights and solve our most pressing challenges – from optimizing supply chains, detecting fraud, and improving customer experiences to accelerating drug discoveries.
GraphSummit Singapore | The Art of the Possible with Graph - Q2 2024
AMI Case Studies
1. AMI Case Studies
Notes from the Field
Prepared by Tom Lawton,TESCO
for the Southeastern Electricity Metering Association (SEMA)
2. Abstract
•
As many utilities have elected to deploy advanced metering systems
and millions of new solid-state, microprocessor based end-points
with communications under glass, there has been a dramatic shift in
the approach to qualifying and certifying electricity meters.
•
This presentation will highlight the need for a rigorous approach to
meter certification as well as continued testing as both the meter
and the communication module and the firmware to run both are
upgraded and changed over the course of deployment.
•
Examples of issues which have arisen over the course of various
deployments along with varying approaches to and interpretations of
the same ANSI tests by manufacturers will be discussed.
3. AMI Deployment
Common Features and Common Sources of Concern
•
•
•
•
•
•
Compressed time frames for pre-deployment, pilots,
and deployment, pilots, and deployment
New features and functionality being added at a
tremendous rate
Bugs, fixes, improvements being implemented
constantly in the meter
Metering typically under represented or not
represented at all in AMI planning teams and
AMI deployment teams.
The need for testing throughout this process is
rarely understood or even appreciated by AMI
planning and deployment teams.
Issues around certification testing and acceptance
testing are initially seen simply as obstacles to
staying on schedule and not as valuable safeguards
against making potentially expensive mistakes
4. The Difference Between Meter Qualification, Meter
Certification & Meter Acceptance Testing
•
Meter Qualification – the easiest and least time consuming aspect
of putting a new AMI technology in the field.
•
Meter Certification – typically underestimated for the initial effort
and unanticipated over the course of deployment.
•
Meter Acceptance Testing – more than just accuracy testing.
Includes functional, firmware and communication testing of all
incoming shipments.
5. Managing Change – at the utility, at the vendor
and from the suppliers to our vendor
•
Every change is potentially important and should be treated this
way.
•
There is no “small change”.
•
There is rarely the same level of testing done for both the meter and
the communication device and never for the meter and the
communication module as an integrated device.
•
Are ANSI tests without the communication module integrated always
suitable from a business, commission and customer view point.
6. Who Should be Doing What?
And who is left standing that can do some
of these things at each step in the process?
•Meter Vendors
•Communication device vendors
•AMI Team
•Metering Group
•Third Party test Labs
- Where are the risks?
- How closely should each
participant be held accountable
and at which steps?
7. Effective Methodologies
•
Define the difference between each of the three types of testing and
certification
•
Define the testing protocols to be used – talk to other utilities,
vendors, third party labs. Define your own and be prepared for them
to evolve over the course of your project
•
Keep to the protocols.
Approvals, Failures
(do not term this “has
not passed yet”),
Deviations should all
be documented
FOLLOW
DEFINE
EVOLVE
8. Qualification Testing
Typical Protocols:
•
•
AMI Teams typically do a good job of defining what they expect the meters and
communications devices to do.
Meter Services can take this specifications document and check to see if the
devices proposed can handle these tasks.
Ways to stay out of trouble and to set yourself up for success in the subsequent
steps:
• Define the testing protocols to be used – talk to other utilities, vendors, third
party labs. Define your own and be prepared for them to evolve over the
course of your project.
• Keep to the protocols. Approvals, Failures (do not term this “has not passed
yet”), Deviations should all be documented.
• Check for yourself. If a feature is advertised then you should be able to verify
the feature is functional and whether this feature meets your needs. When
purchasing a “Smart” meter, know what you are getting.
9. Pre-deployment Certification Testing
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ANSI Testing
Meter Functionality
Meter Data Acquisition Accuracy for Each Form
Dual Socket Meter Comparison – Data Collection & Accuracy
(Energy, Demand, Load Profile)
Large Test Platform Meter Comparison –
Data Collection & Accuracy
Disconnect/Reconnect Functionality
Outage Performance
Meter Communications Performance
10. Deployment and Post-Deployment
Certification Testing
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ANSI Testing
Meter Functionality
Meter Data Acquisition Accuracy for Each Form
Dual Socket Meter Comparison – Data Collection & Accuracy
(Energy, Demand, Load Profile)
Large Test Platform Meter Comparison –
Data Collection & Accuracy
Disconnect/Reconnect Functionality
Outage Performance
Meter Communications Performance
11. Acceptance Testing
•
Accuracy testing
•
Meter Communications
Performance
•
Software and firmware
verification
•
Setting verification
•
Functional testing
•
Disconnect/reconnect
Functionality
and as left setting
12. Setting up Certification and
Acceptance Testing Plans
Questions that need to be asked:
• How does Acceptance Testing
differ from Certification Testing?
• When do we return to
Certification Testing?
• What should be built in to the
AMI Vendor Contracts?
• Who should be involved in
developing the Certification and
Acceptance Test Plans and
when should this be done?
13. Useful Tools & Potential Resources
• ISO 9001
• Quality System Documentation if not ISO 9001
• Quality systems and test reports from vendors
• ANSI Test results, and protocols used by various
manufacturers for these tests. Insist upon
additional testing where you feel necessary
• Third Party Labs for your own certification testing
14. ANSI & Other Standards
• Not all Standards are created equal. The same Standard is
often not interpreted the same way by all test facilities. The
devil is always in the details. Do not just ask if the meter
passed a particular test, but learn the details about how this
test was run. Also find out,
• What version of the meter?
• Was the communication module
integrated with the meter for any
of these tests?
15. Vendors, Consultants, Independent Labs,
Other Utilities, Networking
• You are not the first Utility to go through this process. At this point several others
utilities have completed or are nearing completion of a deployment with your
meter of choice or one of the meters you are considering choosing. There may
even be utilities who have deployed the same meter with the same
communication device. Ask your peers. Pick their brains. Talk to the metering
folks. We are pretty friendly individuals.
• Most of the vendors have gotten better about no
longer stone walling with “we have never seen
that issue before”. We are asking our meter
vendors to deploy new technology and new
features very rapidly. They generally want to
learn of any issues as quickly as possible and
address these issues as quickly as possible.
• You always have a first or a final resort to go to
an independent test facility – new feature never
used in the industry or a problem that crops
up after deployment has begun
16. Quality Audits
•
Schedule these for your meter manufacturer and your communication device
manufacturer.
•
Objective is to understand how they tested the product in the first place as well as
how any concerns that come up will be addressed. What is the mechanism, who are
the people, what capabilities do they have to investigate and determine root cause.
How and when are these responses fed back to you the customer and to the
manufacturing and supply chain.
•
In plant final inspection and testing
•
Plant first pass test results… if the number is less than 95% (which is typical),
validating and auditing the off-line repair process becomes equally as important as
auditing the main line quality checks
•
Vendor supply change management
•
Validation testing of firm ware changes
17. RMA’s and Self-Audits
•
In conjunction with auditing your vendor you should
audit your own procedures for identifying, reporting and
following up on issues.
•
For many this is simply a review of their RMA
procedures. These procedures need to be
strengthened and personnel assigned to them as the
number of issues will skyrocket over the course of a
deployment. Most will be of no or little consequence.
Some will be important and one or more may have
catastrophic results if not addressed quickly and
followed-up forcefully and with persistence.
•
Regardless of the extent of the self-audit, your quality
system will have to be strengthened and staffed to
handle the demands and the rigors of an AMI
deployment. Clear chains of command and reporting
protocols and decision matrixes will be as important as
any testing protocols.
18. Post-Deployment
Meter Farms as a Tool
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Once deployment is complete the certification and acceptance testing does not
stop.
Everyone understands the importance of acceptance testing, but future
generations of a smart meter also require certification testing.
One new method for managing existing meter populations as well as future state
meters is through meter farms.
New software and firmware can be tested and compared against the performance
of older generations.
New hardware can be tested and compared to older generations.
Firmware upgrades can be checked
Long term issues can be identified or verified in the
meter farm
New head end systems or IT protocols can be
tested against the meter farm before going live
as well.
19. Real Life Examples of Change
Management in Action
•
Issues in the system not the components – what is the definition of a meter
and when did the meter change?
– Meter and communication device interface
•
Feature Creep – every manufacturer wants to differentiate themselves –
sometimes this works in unanticipated ways
– Recovery from power outages
– Short and long demand periods
•
But we only changed….lessons we should
have learned from Microsoft
– Over the air upgrades
•
Thank Goodness for testing plans and
contracts – right?
– Half closed disconnect devices
– Disconnect devices of unknown state
– Meters with incorrect firmware
20. Expected & Unexpected Trends Toward
the End of Deployment
Expected:
• The AMI deployment team will declare victory at some point and move on.
Clean-up will be left for the meter service department
• Change Management continues to be a tremendous challenge for every
vendor through every deployment
• Meter Acceptance testing including far more than accuracy testing for every
deployment
• Firmware upgrades must be checked and tested before mass deployment
Unexpected:
• Not all forms are available by the end of
deployment and must be installed as
part of normal operations by the meter
service department
• Meter Certification Testing never slowed
down over the course of any of the
deployments
21. Summary
• There are no bad manufacturers. Everyone is moving very
fast to meet the market demands. Without adequate checks
and balances there will be problems. Even with them, there
may still be problems – that is why we call this Risk Mitigation
and not Risk Elimination
• Each Utility must take a far more active role as part of this
system of checks and balances
22. Questions and Discussion
Tom Lawton
TESCO – The Eastern Specialty Company
Bristol, PA
215-688-0298 (cell) · 1-800-762-8211
Tom.Lawton@tescometermanager.com
This presentation can also be found under Meter
Conferences and Schools on the TESCO web site:
www.tesco-advent.com