Virtual hospital for power equipment on Internet

Equipment diagnosis and maintenance plays a key role in reliable power system operations. Information technology opens new doors in this area with powerful and convenient information sharing capabilities. The concepts and prototype development of an Internet based virtual hospital (VH) for power equipment are introduced in this paper. The VH will serve as an information center for the power equipment diagnosis and maintenance community. The virtual hospital will feature a diagnosis/maintenance knowledge and education center, a diagnostic tools center, a worldwide maintenance expertise pool, forums and user groups, links to equipment manufacturers, links to standards, and many other relevant information. VH provides a convenient platform for experience/information sharing, discussions, and worldwide collaborations.