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CROW Modules

The Control Room Operations Window is modular by design. Purchase and use only the functions your utility needs when you need them.

Notes on the above diagram:

Operations Interface & Tools
CROW contains a high-performance client-server interface specifically designed to the requirements of operators and operations managers. It provides functions for logging operating data, ensuring that this data is captured consistently, for managing data associated with current operating conditions, for reviewing and approving data, and for managing a follow-up process for operating conditions.

Engineering & Field Interface & Tools
Engineering and Field staff are provided with a web-based interface that can be easily deployed throughout the enterprise. It includes tools for generating ad-hoc reports, subscribing to customized morning reports and other scheduled reports, and for requesting pager and/or email notification for outages and other operating conditions. It provides tools for entering and managing protection analysis and coding outages for statistical analysis. It also provides functions to allow field staff to enter follow-up information in response to requests from Operations or other requesters.

Operations Event Logging
This module provides tools for control room operators to manage the system event logging process. This includes logging of forced and planned outages, deratings, and operating restrictions, frequency disturbances, and other system events. It integrates operating data among Control Centres and provides tools for managing logged event information and following up on system events.

Reliability Analysis
Provides protection analysis and statistical coding for forced outages on the electric system. This function is fully integrated with the Control Room Operations Window for forced outage logging, and provides protection-zone based follow-up for forced outages. It provides the source data for system reliability reporting.

Outage Coordination
This module incorporates leading practices in Outage Management and provides extensive features which support the outage management process: Plan – Coordinate – Submit – Assess – Approve/Deny – Implement – Report. It uses the notification engine to provide automated, subscription-based notifications and implements the API to enable queries and updates from other systems through a secure interface.

Operations Event Reporting
This module provides web-based reporting for forced and planned outages, deratings, operating restrictions, and other operating data. Reports can be generated immediately on-line, or scheduled and delivered automatically by email daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Ad-hoc reporting, and web-based follow-up forms are provided for field staff.

1-Line Diagrams (Network Model)
The 1-line diagram editor implements a process for entering and editing station operating 1-line diagrams and building an electrical system network connectivity model. Elements in the 1-line diagram reference electrical system elements in the electric system model. The resulting diagram can then be printed, saved to a web image file, or output as a SCADA network model.

Dispatcher Logging
This module incorporates a log sheet window and entry forms for displaying and capturing the narrative — or sequential — log entries that typically make up a dispatcher's shift record. This includes—

Breaker & switch operations Generator status changes Load tapchanger operations Spillgate operations

Other device operations General narrative log entries Customer service calls.

Application Program Interface (API)
CROW provides a secure, robust standards-based web-services Application Program Interface (API) that allows other systems to exchange data with it. The API enforces the same business rules, validation, permissions, and code-of-conduct rules found thoughout the CROW system. It supports HTTPS and certificate-based security, and permits the secure exchange of data using the public Internet or a private network.

Additional interfaces have been developed for the the NWPP Coordinated Outage Scheduling System, and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Distribution Trouble Restoration, Employee Pay/HR, Data Warehouse and Reporting, and Inventory and Employee Safety Training systems.

Enterprise Model (Electrical System & Organization)
The Enterprise Model is the core of the Control Room Operations Window and includes all electric system and organization data. It fully supports the EPRI Common Information Model (CIM). The model includes business units, employees, roles, contractors, Transmission Voltage Customers, Independent Power Producers, stations, and equipment (transmission, station, generation & distribution). It identifies who owns, operates, and maintains assets associated with the electric system, provides flexible reporting roll-ups, a simple drag-and-drop interface, and is user-customizable.

Notification Engine
The notification engine provides subscription-based notifications for planned outages, forced outages, recorded fault locations and follow-up requests. Notifications can be sent to the user's email address, pager or PCS phone.