TABLE OF CONTENTS A large application can be sub-divided into three main sub-processes:
Design
Programming
Data retention
The current trend towards object-oriented methods impacts upon each of these areas: traditional design methodologies such as top-down analysis give way to object-oriented analysis, conventional programming languages to object-oriented programming languages, and relational databases to object-oriented or extended relational databases. This chapter investigates the technical and architectural issues involved in making this transference as well as the benefits to be gained through this process.
Over the last few years it has become increasingly apparent that power system computer solutions currently in place are becoming inadequate. Today's business requirements demand complex data models, fast access and information sharing across the whole of the business. Object-oriented software languages, databases and development techniques are now seen as a possible solution to this problem and much research [1 4] has been devoted to the application of this methodology to power system analysis and control.
The SIMIAN architecture (SIMulation Image and ANimation) is an object-oriented framework designed specifically to enable the sharing of data between different business processes within a complex data environment.
The chapter describes research work conducted at the Brunel Institute of Power Systems into the benefits of an object-oriented design for power system modelling software. The chapter first investigates the concepts of object-oriented design as well as the technologies available to implement such methodologies. Following from this, the object-oriented model devised during this...
