Stand-alone displays

The old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" is worth heeding.  The SCADA line-type displays are laid out somewhat geographically, but don't preserve scale with geography.  We wanted to develop a display that would show system phase angle superimposed over the whole system map.  After some investigation, we decided to use Power World with a colored contour overlay on the western states grid.  Suitable labels and voltage magnitude "thermometers" were included to create comprehensive displays.  The demonstration was successful, but interface problems and lack of actionable information did not warrant continued development.
Another visualization system called Real Time Dynamic Monitor System (RTDMS) has been developed by the Electric Power Group (EPG).  This system includes a geographic display of phase angle using colored arrows to show the direction of power flow.  The colors illustrate preset alarm limits.  It is easy to read and modify, and was designed to interface specifically with phasor data.  It also includes a number of additional displays including strip charts, voltage profiles with alarms and system frequency.  Recently a spectrum display of modal oscillation has been added.  It also stores a block of data for immediate recall and has a data storage component using a standard data base.  These features are much more adapted to standard control center operation and facilitate getting maximum value from the phasor measurement system.