Oracle has announced the availability of Oracle Utilities Meter Data Management 2.0, a key component of the Oracle Utilities Smart Meter Platform, which helps utilities manage the vast quantity of customer energy and water consumption data gathered from smart meter deployments.

With Oracle Utilities Smart Meter Platform, utilities can organize consumption data and turn it into actionable intelligence – improving service, controlling operational costs and responding appropriately to meter-related events and alerts. Oracle Utilities Meter Data Management 2.0 sits at the platform’s core and verifies, stores, processes and formats the data, providing every utility department, application and business process with the metering information it needs.

Through this new version, Oracle has resolved the integration challenges that exist in the industry today between customer information systems and meter data management systems. Oracle Utilities Meter Data Management 2.0 minimizes data duplication and interoperates with Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing, enabling, for example, a customer service representative to easily access the data required to resolve customer queries without having to jump between applications.

Utilities can still leverage custom, legacy systems with a more simplified IT architecture, which supports the move to time-of-use, intraday or real-time pricing initiatives. The software enables utilities to retain the key flexibility needed to configure an IT system to meet the goals of any smart grid initiative.

Oracle Utilities Meter Data Management 2.0 features a centralized device portal that delivers maximum flexibility to all users across the organization. It enables customer service representatives to easily review current and historical usage, while also allowing field service technicians to view metering activity details and manage meter reading schedules. The device portal also contains tools that help utilities view/edit interval data, look for signs of tampering or theft, view/analyze audit records and examine weather patterns to determine usage variations from one time period to another.

Within the next 12 months, Oracle plans to include the following applications in Oracle Utilities Smart Meter Platform: Oracle Utilities Business Intelligence for Meter Data Management, Oracle Utilities Smart Grid Gateway and full support of communication to customers regarding usage and efficiency programs.

The Oracle Utilities Smart Meter Platform enables utilities to choose only the products and services they need to meet today’s requirements while providing a solid foundation to add new functionality when needed.