SYSTEM AND METHOD OF HIGH VOLUME IMPORT, VALIDATION AND ESTIMATION OF METER DATA

• US 20100117856A1
• Filed: 11/11/2008
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itron, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Itron, Inc.
• Inventors: Sonderegger, Robert C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,730,056 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.20
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A meter data management system includes one or more application servers configured to receive, validate and estimate received meter data. The one or more application servers may include various memory/media elements for storing raw and transformed meter data as well as software in the form of computer-executable instructions, which are executed by a processor to implement a variety of functions, including establishing a mapping between the plurality of external devices and a plurality of preconfigured processing workbins (e.g., collections of meter channels in the same time zones), transforming the received meter data into a plurality of data files identified by timing parameter and workbin, validating data provided in each data file, estimating missing or invalid data, and automatically writing validated (and optionally estimated) data as import files to a database server. Such clean data files are then imported to one or more dedicated databases installed on the database server.

Claims

1. A method of managing electronic meter data associated with a plurality of external devices, comprising the steps of:

establishing a mapping between each of the plurality of external devices and a plurality of preconfigured processing workbins;

receiving meter data from the plurality of external devices;

transforming the received data into a plurality of data files, wherein each data file is identified by workbin and at least one timing parameter associated with the date on which selected portions of the meter data was read by an external device;

validating data provided in each data file;

estimating missing or invalid data identified within each data file; and

automatically importing data files with validated and estimated data into a database as it becomes available.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of establishing a mapping between each of the plurality of external devices and a plurality of preconfigured workbins more particularly comprises converting a unique identifier associated with each external device into a unique node identifier, which is assigned to one of a plurality of workbins.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each workbin corresponds to a grouping of external devices located within the same time zone.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each workbin more particularly comprises a collection of external devices that share the same time zone.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of rejecting selected received meter data if received data meets one or more parameters selected from the group of:

having an unknown external device identifier, including duplicate meter data, and having meter data read outside of a predetermined time range.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step before the validating and estimating steps of determining data readiness for selected groupings of external devices within each workbin.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of determining data readiness comprises identifying when data for an entire twenty-four hour period of time has been received and validated.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

meter data received from the plurality of external devices is received in XML format; and

the step of transforming received data into a plurality of data files comprises forming compressed binary files.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step before the automatic importing step of revalidating estimated data that was previously found to be invalid.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each data file created in the transforming step is populated until the data file reaches a predetermined file size or until a predetermined amount of time has elapsed; and

the data file sizes and population times in each workbin are monitored to ensure desired file transformation efficiency.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of providing metadata for each imported data file, such metadata indicative of one or more factors selected from:

an indication of what meter readings have been received based on external device identifiers, when each meter reading has been received based on one or more timing parameters, what continuous records of data exist for one or more external devices, what meter readings have been processed by the data management method, and historic data identifying prior consumption levels for selected external devices.

12. A data management system for processing meter data received from a plurality of external devices, comprising:

one or more application servers configured to receive, validate and estimate received meter data, said one or more application servers comprising;

a first memory adapted for storing software in the form of computer-executable instructions;

a second memory adapted for storing meter data received from a plurality of external devices; and

at least one processor coupled to said first and second memories and configured to selectively implement the computer-executable instructions stored in said first memory to process the meter data stored in said second memory;

wherein said at least one processor implements the computer-executable instructions stored in said first memory in order to implement the functions of;

establishing a mapping between each of the plurality of external devices and a plurality of preconfigured processing workbins, transforming the received data into a plurality of data files, wherein each data file is identified by workbin, validating data provided in each data file, estimating missing or invalid data identified within each data file, and automatically writing validated and estimated data as import files to a database; and

at least one database server coupled to said one or more application servers for receiving the imported validated and estimated data files.

13. The data management system of claim 12, wherein:

said one or more application servers comprise a plurality of first servers configured to perform the processing functions of establishing a mapping, transforming received meter data, validating data and estimating missing or invalid data; and

said one or more application servers comprise at least one second server housing said at least one database for receiving the imported, validated and estimated data files.

14. The data management system of claim 12, wherein each preconfigured processing workbin identified in the processor function of establishing a mapping corresponds to a grouping of external devices provided within the same time zone.

15. The data management system of claim 12, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to identify each data file by at least one timing parameter associated with the date on which the selected portions of meter data was read by an external device.

16. The data management system of claim 12, wherein said at least one processor is further configured before the validating and estimating functions are implemented to identify data readiness corresponding to when meter data from one or more groupings of external devices has been received over a predetermined window of time.

17. The data management system of claim 12, wherein the meter data received from the plurality of external devices is received in XML format;

and wherein the function implemented by said at least one processor of transforming the received data into a plurality of data files comprises forming compressed binary files.

18. The data management system of claim 12, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to revalidate estimated data that was previously found to be invalid before it is imported to said at least one database.

19. The data management system of claim 12, wherein each data file transformed by said at least one processor is characterized by a predetermined file size, and wherein the file size and population time for data files processed in each workbin are monitored to ensure file transformation efficiency.

20. The data management system of claim 12, wherein each imported data file is structured to provide metadata indicative of one or more factors selected from:

an indication of what meter readings have been received based on external device identifiers, when each meter reading has been received based on one or more timing parameters, what continuous records of data exist for one or more external devices, what meter readings have been processed by said data management method, and historic data identifying prior consumption levels for selected external devices.