The EMS Users Group is a living reminder of the once thriving EMS vendor -
Leeds & Northrop. When Leeds & Northrop went under for the 3rd and last
time, the remaining members of the L&N users group decided they had some
unfinished business and that they should continue to meet as an informal group
of EMS users. This original group of individuals was quite creative and
included George Yakopcic, formerly of Duquesne Light, Dave McGinnis and
Hani Alerain, and now for the first time, I should say formerly of Illinois
Power, and Richard Hird of TransAlta. This group was also determined to have
a non-proprietary EMS.
We immediately went out and actively recruited Boeing and Westinghouse
users. Since these two companies also had withdrawn from the EMS business,
we soon became known as the .EMS orphans.. Fortunately, along the way we
attracted a diverse group of dedicated and talented people from all parts of the
EMS world.
The mission of the EMS Users Group is to promote the use of non-proprietary,
multi-vendor technology solutions in the Energy Management System arena.
The EMS Users Group is utility driven in order to maintain a non-commercial,
educational focus. Membership and / or participation in committees is open to
anyone interested in contributing to the EMS Users Group, whether they are
affiliated with a utility, vendor, or consultant.
This group is supported through the work of volunteers. We do not have any
sponsorship and we do need as many volunteers as we can find.
Structure
The structure of the organization has moved from the informal group that
started it to the incorporated, non-profit organization that we are today. The last
two years have brought about significant changes for us. We incorporated in
2002 and the 2003 meeting was the first meeting that we have held as an
independent and legally incorporated entity. We now have a 5 member Board
of Directors, our own Bylaws and Charter, active working committees, and our
own Web site. Oh, and of course, our own bank account which we will use to
keep the Web site alive and current.
The activities of the EMS Users Conference provide a forum for:
- sharing information related to the use of open systems technology and
standards-based approaches in the electric utility Control Center
- discussing technology developments in related fields
- staying current with the activities and developments of other organizations
promoting or implementing standards that relate to the Control Center
- exploring the changing needs of the Control Center user community as it is
impacted by the changing electric utility business environment
- informally exchanging ideas among utilities, vendors and consultants
- encouraging solution providers to implement open standards
Philosophy
All activities other than vendor demonstrations are intended to be educational,
not commercial, in nature. While participation in these activities is open to
qualified presenters regardless of their affiliation (whether with a utility, vendor
or consultant), all information shared during these sessions is strictly noncommercial.
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