Creating new computer tools

Carnegie Mellon University's Ole Mengshoel was awarded a two-year, $498,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to create new computer tools for improving and integrating the way information is displayed and analyzed.

"The project will develop new techniques that integrate visualization processes and analytical tools, including data mining and machine learning, that will enable improved monitoring of large utility projects," said Mengshoel, a senior systems scientist at Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley.

Mengshoel reports that his novel monitoring and data mining algorithms will provide improved operation estimates for large-scale networks like those used to power the nation's critical electricity power grid.

Because the quality of what industry is getting and creating in terms of large-scale systems needs improvement, Mengshoel's research team is dedicated to making large networks, including electrical power and computer networks, work more robustly, efficiently and economically. Other Carnegie Mellon research team members include Marija Ilic, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and engineering and public policy, and Ted Selker, associate director of the CyLab Mobility Research Center at Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley. Ilic is an expert in electrical engineering and electrical power systems, while Selker is an expert in computational visualization and user interfaces.

In addition to the research, the grant also helps support future software development projects and the training of both undergraduate and graduate students. Students will be engaged in the project in several ways, including through the use of the Advanced Diagnostics and Prognostics Testbed (ADAPT) — a real-world electrical power system that is similar to the power system often used in vehicles and micro-grids.

"As the global population grows and energy demand increases, and generation shifts toward the use of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, we all need to learn to create and use energy more reliably and efficiently, and our research will help us to push energy economy to the extreme," Mengshoel said.