Overcoming Challenges Using the CIM as a Semantic Model for Energy Applications

CIM is the key to smart grid interoperability. This being the case, we are experimenting with different approaches to utilizing the CIM as a semantic model for Energy applications. In this paper we identify some of the challenges we have encountered applying an OWL representation of the CIM to a common industry application for network model validation. Some challenges have to do with differences between UML, the language in which the CIM is maintained, and RDF/OWL, the semantic representation we have chosen for our experiment. We highlight some of differences between UML and OWL and discuss what they might mean in a smart grid context and the advantages and disadvantages of using each representation in Energy applications. Still other problems have to do with the processes around translating the CIM models from UML to OWL and managing model changes. Finally we propose some necessary conditions for addressing these challenges.