Grid Network Model Management - From Strategy to Implementation Case Studies

February 03, 2026

9:00 AM - 9:50 AM

28CD

Advanced Operations , NMS (Network Management System) , Asset Management

Network Model Management, a key part of the asset lifecycle value chain, delivers significant value across the asset lifecycle by establishing a sustainable, single source of truth for grid network data. This improves data consistency, timeliness, and quality, and enables a 360-degree operational view across all business functions in T&D organizations. By adopting a standards-based model - such as CIM - the solution promotes interoperability, supports vendor flexibility, and reduces long-term complexity.
Globally, we’re seeing more utilities exploring, planning, and implementing network model management into both the Transmission and Distribution/Sub-transmission space - driven by increased DERs, regulatory pressure, and advanced grid technologies requiring a trusted network model.
It is often underestimated how widely network models are used across departments - from design and construction to operations and planning.
At Ameren, the GNMM project aimed to formalize a strategy to replace ad hoc and siloed processes with a unified system of record. Prior to this, engineers were managing critical data manually - using spreadsheets, home-grown desktop databases, and file shares - which was inefficient, brittle, and difficult to scale. By creating a foundational NMMS, Ameren not only improved data quality and reduced manual overhead but also enabled better use of ADMS features like load flow and FLISR.
Automated processes and integrated data flows streamline network model management, reduce manual overhead, and allow planning and operational systems to operate more effectively with complete, validated network data. Even in the first phase, Ameren achieved tangible improvements, including increasing the frequency of network updates to ADMS from biweekly to daily, and significantly reducing the manual effort required to maintain the network model.
A key realization is that GIS alone isn’t enough. GIS data lacks the explicit connectivity and model fidelity required by ADMS, EMS, and other systems. A modern NMMS must ingest data from across the asset lifecycle, validate it rigorously, and publish it in multiple formats. More importantly, it must become a shared platform - supporting planners, operators, and analysts with a common, high-quality source of truth.

Speakers