CASCUDO

CIM Adaptor for SCADA and Control systems Underlaid by DAIS and Open-source
CASCUDO Project is an attempt to develop a DAIS based interface for SCADA/EMS/DMS systems.
CASCUDO is focused on standards, allowing easy integration of software packages using a vendor-independent API and a standardized information model.

Problems Being Addressed

UMS (Utility Management Systems) data format and dictionary are generally proprietary and trade secret. Each vendor uses its own data format, database and libraries, even though they all basically represent the same information. This restriction makes it very difficult to integrate applications with the UMS [3].

To address these needs, the EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute) has created the CCAPI Project (Working Group on Control Center Application Program Interfaces), a joint effort with major software companies to develop an integration framework that enables applications or systems to access public data and exchange information independent of how such information is represented inside the applications [1]. The CCAPI Working Group published a set of guidelines for EMS/DMS API, to develop associated support tools and promote the use of open software engineering approaches in EMS [3].

One part of this framework is the Common Information Model for Energy Management Systems (CIM). This information model provides an abstract data model for a complete power system using the Unified Modeling Language (UML) notation. The role of the CIM is to provide a common language for information exchange [1].

Envisioning a "plug & play" architecture and a common exchange mechanism, a series of standard interfaces where defined. These interfaces are called the Generic Interface Definition (GID). The idea behind the GID is that software components can interoperate through a well defined, common set of services. The GID defines interfaces in the following categories: common data access, method invocation, event generation, and interface declaration and discovery. It builds on existing API industry standards, specifically [1]:

The DAF (Data Access Facility) - an OMG and emerging IEC specification for object-oriented read-only access to metadata and instance data. This permits data access for queries or for applications to obtain current system state information based on the CIM.
OPC (OLE for Process Control) - a set of existing APIs developed by the OPC Foundation. OPC is a Microsoft technology-focused set of specifications that allow clients to subscribe to measurement data as well as alarms and events.
DAIS (Data Acquisition for Industrial Systems) - an emerging OMG and IEC specification modeled on OPC. The purpose of the DAIS API is to support efficient real-time transfer of large amounts of data from an industrial process to a wide range of clients [2]. It supports high-speed SCADA data exchange and provides a general purpose event service.

The CIM and the GID are International Standards, part of the IEC 61970 EMS API series of standards.

Objectives of CASCUDO are:

Better understand and dominate EPRI's CIM model and OMG's DAF/DAIS/HDAIS APIs;
Give a starting point for developers interested in these technologies;

Make DAIS API more popular and largely adopted (as OPC is?);

Eventually, produce open source libraries implementing the DAIS API, suitable for use in client/server data acquisition and control systems.

Key technologies for CASCUDO are:

CIM: Epri's Common Information Model. CIM is the resulting effort of EPRI's CCAPI task force, whose objectives are to allow smooth integration between software packages in power systems utilities companies. CIM is now part of an IEC standard (IEC 61970).
GID: Generic Interface Definition. GID is also part of IEC 61970 standard.
DAIS: Data Acquisition from Industrial Systems. DAIS is an OMG open API specification, intended for use in utilities control and data acquisition systems. DAIS is an OPC-like API.
CORBA: OMG's Common Object Request Broker Architecture. CORBA is an open, vendor-independent architecture and infrastructure used to build distributed software systems.

What is a “cascudo”?

CASCUDO is a generic designation for fishes (Hypostomus), also known as "armored catfish", which lives in soft ion-poor Brazilian freshwaters.

Its body, instead of the smooth skin found in regular catfishes, is coated by bony plates, making it difficult for predators to attack him. It also have a sucker in its mouth, allowing it to cling to the surface of rocks and water plants, while feeding on the algae found there.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armored_catfish.

References

[1] D. Becker. Generic Interface Definition (GID). Technical report , Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, California - USA, Dec. 2001.

[2] Object Management Group. Data Acquisition from Industrial Systems Specification. Technical report , OMG, Jun. 2005.

[3] Robin Podmore and Marck Robinson. Introduction to CIM. Technical report, Power Data Corporation, Incremental Systems Corporation, Nov. 2000.

Who we are

Paulo Neis is an electrical engineer, interested in data acquisition, SCADA/EMS, embedded and intelligent systems. He is now working for LACTEC (Institute of Technology for Development) - a Brazilian R&D institution;