Software Integration and MultiSpeak® Services
| Integration of data-intensive automation applications has been an on-going challenge for electric utilities of all sizes. A number of approaches were historically tried and until fairly recently they utilized costly, custom application interfaces that were an on-going maintenance concern for both vendors and utilities. The evolution of MultiSpeak has changed all that. |  |
MultiSpeak is an industry-wide open standard for integration of software used in distribution utilities and the distribution portion of vertically-integrated utilities. MultiSpeak includes a common data model that is documented in the form of an XML Schema and an extensive set of web services to support common utility business processes. The web services are documented in the form of web services description language (WSDL) computer-readable files to ease the development of compatible interfaces.
The MultiSpeak specification has been developed by, and is maintained by, the MultiSpeak Initiative, a collaboration of the National Rural Electric Cooperative and over 40 leading software vendors serving the electric utility market. MultiSpeak interfaces are in production use at over 200 utilities to date, including rural electric cooperatives, municipals, and investor-owned utilities.
Cornice Engineering has been project coordinator of the MultiSpeak effort since its inception and continues to play a lead role in this vital collaborative effort between leading utility software vendors and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
Cornice Engineering is uniquely qualified to provide a full range of services pertaining to MultiSpeak usage in all utilities. These services include:
- Business process modeling to support data model and web services design.
- Creation and documentation of custom, utility-specific business processes using Unified Modeling Language (UML) tools.
- Data model creation, modification, and documentation in XML Schema format.
- Creation and modification of web services to suit utility needs and adding new methods to existing web services.
- Identifying the most appropriate implementation of MultiSpeak-compatible application interfaces to meet the needs of the utility.
- Working with vendors and utility developers to facilitate a smooth integration of disparate software applications.
- Directing and assisting the utility in developing adapters for non-MultiSpeak enabled applications.
- Consulting on implementation of MultiSpeak data model and web services.
- Help developing extensions to MultiSpeak - additional data objects to the data model, extending existing data objects by the addition of XML attributes and/or XML elements.
- Consulting on scalability of MultiSpeak web services. The power of MultiSpeak has been discovered by utilities of all sizes. Cornice Engineering can answer questions about the applicability to your particular situation.
- Identifying how the utility installation can harmonize MultiSpeak’s power with the development that has been done on the IEC Common Information Model (CIM).
- Seminars on understanding and applying MultiSpeak data models and web services.
Additional Information
Additional technical information about MultiSpeak can be found at the MultiSpeak website (http://www.multispeak.org) and also in our Publications list. Questions can be answered directly at info@corniceengineering.com.
Cornice Engineering, Inc. is a certified MultiSpeak Integrator
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