Back in college, I remember taking a test in thermodynamics. I found myself faced with calculating YX on a slide rule. It took me 15 precious minutes to complete that dreaded calculation. Meanwhile, my nearest competitor (the professor graded on a curve) pulled out an HP 35, the first full-powered, hand-held scientific calculator available on the market. He finished that same calculation in five seconds and was on to the next problem.

I was stunned. This wasn't fair. But technology marches on, and I realized I was being left in the dust. I was facing portable computing power I couldn't ignore. Two weeks later and US$350 poorer, I had this powerful tool in my possession.

In the ensuing 25 years, personal computers have made major inroads in every aspect of business. Microchip-based devices are performing process control functions in power plants. Software-based customer information systems allow utilities to track every interaction with their customers. Distribution automation ensures timely power restoration. Power trading is transacted across communication links that span the country. Computer power is rapidly changing every aspect of our professional lives.

A few years ago, I worked with Tom Rodenbaugh, project manager, with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Palo Alto, California, U.S., to develop power cable installation software. This engineering tool contained the latest features available at the time including hot words, hypertext and animation. We added game theory to challenge users with hypothetical field problems. We included an expert advisor to warn users if cable pulling tension limits would be exceeded. The advisor could also make installation suggestions. Software tools like this are now available for just about every engineering application. There is no question that today's software can speed a person along on the learning track.

Now, as an editor, I get to "test drive" others' software programs. EPRI recently sent me version 1.1 of its Distribution Engineering Workstation (DEW) to play with. Allegheny Power had joined forces with EPRI in 1992 to provide input into the DEW being developed at Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

This software performs distribution calculations including power flow, phase balancing, line impedance, capacitor placement, transformer sizing and flicker analysis. This DEW software uses a common interface and data architecture so users can transition easily from one application to another. The software package can tap into regularly updated Allegheny Power databases including customer information systems and automated circuit maps. Allegheny Power anticipates saving more than US$1 million a year using the DEW, both through reduced external contractor support and in-house labor savings. In addition, engineers can optimize system design allowing them to reduce capital expenditures.

With the advent of the information age, knowledge-based systems will soon be providing the right information at the right time to the right people. Instead of just-in-time inventory, we'll have just-in-time expert systems--knowledge at your fingertips when you need it.

One such system is being developed for Companhia Energetica de Minas Gerais, (CEMIG), a major electric utility in Brazil. CEMIG is working with both the Escola Federal de Engenharia de Itajub (Brazil) and the University of Waterloo (Canada) to develop artificial intelligence techniques to assist operators during substation switching. This "expert system" will also be used to train substation operators in taking proper corrective actions based on previous outcomes. With the advent of local and wide area networks, it is possible to build knowledge-based systems with common databases. With laptop computers and mobile communication links, information can be accessed anywhere and anytime.

To compete, technical professionals require up-to-date tools. And today, these tools frequently share data and information with one another. Perhaps no engineering and business tools will change faster in the next five years than those powered by silicon chips. Today, the investment in information technologies is every bit as crucial as investments in power lines and substations.