PI AMI and PI Head End Interfaces
The Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Interfaces are included with OSIsoft MDUS. PI Head End Interfaces are part of OSIsoft's AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) product. See the Overview page for more information about AMI and PI Head End Interfaces.
AMI Interfaces
The newly-manufactured electric meters of today are much more sophisticated than the rotary dial models from previous generations. Among their advanced features is the ability to measure energy usage for specific time intervals during a day. In addition, these commonly-named "smart meters" support the automatic transmission of these interval data as well as remote activation and disconnection.Smart meters form the basis for the Advanced Metering Infrastructure. AMI is the system of hardware and software components that allows electric utilities to achieve significant cost savings and improved efficiencies through policies such as:
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Time of use billing
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Elimination of manual meter readings
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Quicker and more accurate response to power outages, and
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Demand response programs
AMI also offers benefits for utility customers. An example is customers receiving a lower rate to turn off major appliances (such as an air conditioner) during peak usage hours.
Smart meters communicate to a collection system known as a head end system. The basicfunctionality of a head end is to receive meter data, make the meter data available to other systems, and send operational and configuration commands to the meters. Advanced functionality include outage detection, on demand meter reading, remote disconnection, and the processing of meter data through validation, editing, and estimation (VEE).
PI Head End Interfaces retrieve meter data from different head end systems, archives these data in their original fidelity in the PI Server and makes the meter data readily available to SAP for Utilities. In addition it also automatically retrieves meter asset information from head end systems and contextually store such information into PI AF.
PI Head End Interfaces also move information in the opposite direction. For example, a customer service system schedules a meter disconnect. OSIsoft MDUS passes this request to the appropriate head end system. The head end system performs the remote disconnection. PI Asset Framework (PI AF).