Friday, September 22, 2017

IEC 61850: Usage of XML Schemata for Model Name Space Definitions

One of the crucial challenges in dealing with IEC 61850 is the sheer unlimited amount of Models (Logical Nodes, Data Objects, Data Attributes, Data Attribute Types, ... and related Services). How to manage these? How to figure out which model was valid last year, which model details are currently valid, ... questions, questions ...
What are the answers to these questions? Simply: good documentation of content, modifications, extensions, and changes.
The IEC TC 57 WG 10 has published a document that defines the rules for model content of IEC 61850 based core data model in IEC 61850-7-2, IEC 61850-7-3 and IEC 61850-7-4. Other domains (like DER, Hydro, Wind, etc.) could define their own data model based on IEC 61850 core data model to be able to use IEC 61850 core parts as a common layer.

The published 70 page document 57/1925/DTS contains the new draft rules:

Communication networks and systems for power utility automation –
Part 7-7: Basic communication structure –
Machine-processable format of IEC 61850-related data models for tools

The voting and commenting period closes 2017-12-15

"Year after year the IEC 61850 data models are extended both in depth with hundreds of new data items, and in width with tens of new parts.
In order to foster an active tool market with good quality, and at the end to improve IEC 61850 interoperability, we need a machine-processable file describing data model related parts of the standard as input. This is the purpose the new language Name Space Definition (NSD) defined by this part of IEC 61850.
This will avoid the need for any engineering tool related to the IEC 61850 data models to get the content of the standard manually entered, with the highest risk of mistakes. This will also help spreading easily any corrections to the data model, as requested to reach interoperability. Tool vendors will be able to integrate NSD in their tools to distribute the standard data models directly to end users."

This new document seems to be crucial for all experts that deal with models and their implementation in Tools and IEDs.

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