Supervisory control and data acquisition

The acquisition of data, the processing of those data for use by the operator, and operator control of remote devices are the fundamental building blocks upon which all modern utility control systems are based. The systems to accomplish these functions are known as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. This paper provides an overview of the functions of SCADA and the fundamentals of operation of SCADA systems, including a brief description of the key man-machine interface. Several of the key issues and problems in modern SCADA systems, i.e., message standards, system performance testing, and system obsolescence are discussed. The paper concludes with the current trends toward distributed processing, improved man-machine interface, standard systems, smarter RTUs, and standard software. The authors´ view of the future, using interchangeable system parts, is provided.