Using Archon - 2. Electricity transportation management

For pt.1 see ibid., p.64-70 (1996). The Archon software framework integrated seven heterogeneous agents-some preexisting systems and some custom built-into a functional real world application. This DAI approach provides economy, robustness, reliability and a natural representation of the domain. The article discusses the use of Archon by Iberdrola, a Spanish electric utility. To ensure that Iberdrola's transport network remains within the desired safety and economical constraints, Iberdrola uses a sophisticated data acquisition system called Scada (supervisory control and data acquisition) and several conventional application programs that help the operator (the control engineer) to analyze it (these programs are primarily designed for normal operating conditions). Whenever an unexpected event occurs, the Scada system automatically sends hundreds of alarms to the control room. Under these circumstances, the operator must rely on experiential knowledge to analyze the information, diagnose the situation, and take appropriate remedial actions to return the network to a safe state. To reduce the operators' cognitive load in such circumstances, and to help them make better decisions faster, Iberdrola decided to develop several decision support systems. They then interconnected these systems and subsequently extended them using Archon distributed AI technology.