About a year ago, Gas Technology Institute (GTI) initiated a program to develop the Gas Distribution Model (GDM) to meet this need with three specific purposes. First, the model will be used as a data exchange function between operator data models and vendor�??s software products to reduce the need for customization. Second, the model can store both transmission and distribution data and will facilitate vertical data integration. Third, GDM could be used as the primary data model for operators to avoid the need for internally developing a model. Additional information on GDM can be found in the attached powerpoint presentation.
The GDM initiative brought together a diverse group of operators, vendors, and industry experts to collaboratively develop a GIS-neutral model that holds promise to reduce the cost of software implementation and improve interoperability. GDM is a flexible model that will grow and expand with continued use and development. GTI has completed GDM v1.0 and is soliciting participation from distribution operators and software vendors in pilot projects. We will be conducting a webinar early next year to provide more information and to demonstrate the capabilities of GDM.