FOSS for GOI supported project for Power Sector
Subject: IT Implementation in Power Sector via 100% grant by MoP GoI
The Problem
Ministry of Power (MoP)/ Power Finance Corporation (PFC) Govt of India under the XI th Plan has allocated around 10000 crore INR for IT implementation all over India in Power Utilities of State Govts by providing 100% grant to Power Utilities under the R-APDRP schem (Restructured-Accelerated Power Development Program) .
http://apdrp.gov.in
This basically means each utility would be getting around 200-400 crore for IT implementation.
The following major IT modules shall be covered under this plan
- Data Center and Disaster Recovery Center for Utility
- Automated Meter Data Acquisition and Energy Audit
- Utility Business: IT enabled New Connection, Disconnection & Dismantling
- GIS based customer Indexing and asset mapping, integrated network analysis module
- Centralized Customer Care Services
- Management Information System (MIS)
- Web Self Service
- Identity and Access Management system, System Security
- Asset Management and Maintenance Management
Besides Mail/ Messaging/ IP Phones would be setup for communication.
For carrying out this work MoP has mandated the following process:
- MoP shortlists/ empanelled IT Consultants, a list of around 20 ITC http://72.167.37.52:8090/rapdrp/protected/jsp/Guest/goViewITC.jsp?type=ITC&title=Empanelled%20List%20of%20%20IT%20Consultants%20%20dated%2009.01.2009%20and%20Additional%20Empanelment%20dated%2023.04.09&table=default__ieba
- Power Utilities are supposed to select one of these 20 as their ITC (IT Consultant) through competitive bidding.
- The ITC will prepare DPR (Detailed project reports) for submission to PFC MoP
- After approval by PFC MoP the ITC will help Power Utility choose an ITIA (IT Implementation Agency)
- The ITIA are again from a list of empanelled companies http://tinyurl.com/cq5z2x
- ITIA will implement the projects
- Third Party Independent Evaluating Agencies (TPIEA), to be empanelled by PFC MoP, shall check the system
100% funding by MoP GoI
More details here in the Modal SRS document issued by PFC and MoP:
http://tinyurl.com/dl8sj6
Model SRS is here: http://72.167.37.52:8090/rapdrp//uploadedfiles/file_209.pdf
In brief Open Source S/W (GNU/ Linux, MySQL, Firefox) have been mentioned in equal terms and at a few places (rather one place) it is specifically written that an Open Source Version of OS is preferred (Ibelieve it should be GNU/ Linux) Page 401 may please be referred.
Open standards have been given due importance.
It has also been mentioned that application software along with source code (only for customized software solutions) shall need to be supplied to the utility by the implementation agency.
The above applies to whole of India for all Govt Owned and operated Power Utility companies/ Boards in all states.
But My problem is specific to one state where I am working there as an Engineer but other states shall be facing the same problem.
Free and Open Source Software has the potential of cutting cost and also being more reliable than many of the proprietary solutions. Even though initially we may be getting 100% funding but later on the total cost of maintenance of commercial S/W may be prohibitive for a Govt Owned Organisation like ours where sometimes (rather most of the times) due to Govt policies the Utility has to suffer losses for no fault of its own.
We are trying to put forward this case to our management.
The problem is ITC for our State Electricity Board i.e M/S XYZ Mega Corp from India (name witheld) is not interested in Open Source and their POV is “not possible” and they said that they are in discussion with MoP for removal of open source from SRS. Some high ups in our management wont even listen to the mention of open source, they say dont even talk about it. Then the
usual FUD regarding open source (FLOSS) is there.
It may please be noted that as per specifications in the Modal SRS prepared there is no single integrated solution available in market
that can fit the bill of any utility. i.e what would be developed would be unique and new, so why not using free and open source
technologies, so that it can be later on replicated at other utilities/ govt organisation with minimum cost and also becomes a Govt
asset.
Help Wanted
Your help and guidance is required regarding how to best present this case to our management to defend FLOSS use in utility. Specifically any help in getting support from any contacts in PFC MoP who have helped in preparing the modal SRS and in getting equal importance to open source software in the modal SRS. This would be necessary as the ITC (IT Consultant) M/S XYZ Mega Corp of India may need to be told (in literal terms) to prefer OSS.
Links to any success stories using FLOSS preferably in Power Sector for use as an example while convincing our Electricity Board Management.
We are trying to work out the reoccurring costs of both proprietary as well as free and open source software. Reoccurring cost is more important as this would be born by the state electricity board, even though the initial funding is from MoP GoI. We will also present this comparison to our management. Any help in determination of total cost of ownership of both types of software.
Regarding freedom that would be free with free software, our state electricity board has already had the taste of the bitter medicine from another organisation which was awarded a project for development of some Software solutions, and as of now that organisation is refusing to provide source code and design schema for this software to our state electricity board, that basically means this software cannot be integrated with or covered under this centrally sponsored schem R-APDRP and if nothing works out will again be re-implemented from scratch, all investment made so far would be lost.
Also almost all electronic meters in our as well as other state electricity utilities would need to be discarded and replaced with
newer electronic meters that use open standards for meter data reading, as old meters cannot be used in automatic meter reading
system due to their proprietary communication protocols. The old meters are otherwise good but for their protocol.
These are usual cases of IT products being purchased because ‘we need it now’ rather than as a result of longer term planning. Hope this does not happen again.
Any other suggestions/ advice.
Thanks in advance please for all your suggestions and help.
Attachments
In the era when all the governments worldwide are welcoming the open source software its pity that this State Electricity Board is backing the efforts of a vendor to exempt this project from FOSS. Instead of asking all the power utilities to develop their own software why MOP not make a software based on FOSS at central level; ask state utilities to implement the same with any modifications required for local needs. In case Board’s top brass don’t listen we should go for a PIL, for which i am ready to do the needful. Please let me know about the developments.
The irony is that these very agencies pay for entire development of systems, purchase of all (software development) tools and software but at end of the project neither code nor tools are left with them to go forward. The commercial vendors prefer complete lock-in and do not want the client who has paid for the entire code base to even own it or be able to transfer it to another department.
Use of FLOSS or otherwise is additional issue. But a complete system paid for by one agency can not be used by another. Even when the original client technically has purchased (and not licensed) the development of software. The tenders are for purchase and not licensing of software.
Now add the fat to fire by adding further benefits of using FLOSS tools and systems!
Excellent post. As a tax payer, I am dismayed so see public money being wasted in reinventing the wheel again and again and again. What we need to build are code repositories for common government applications like treasury, municipal management etc and issue diktats that vendors build their services around these code repositories. In the US, hospitals have been (re)using the VistA (Veterans health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) software developed by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The sourcecode for this software is available at www.sourceforge.net/projects/openvista . The new American CTO, Aneesh Chopra “gets” what open source is all about:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10142626-38.html
The commonwealth of Virginia is undertaking a variety of
initiatives to improve aspects of governance in areas like health care
and education, said Aneesh Chopra, Virginia’s secretary of technology.
On February 23, the commonwealth will debut the Virginia physics
“flexbook,” Chopra said–Web-based instructional materials that cover
areas of physics in which Virginia’s traditional curriculum is lacking.
The commonwealth partnered with the nonprofit CK-12 Foundation to
provide an open-source platform on which new content can be quickly
published. Virginia officials solicited contributions to the text from
around the country. The contributions were subject to a series of
academic reviews.
“Virginia will have its first physics flexbook for teachers to rip,
mix, and burn and to incorporate into their educational coursework,”
Chopra said.
He said the process was faster than the traditional means of
changing coursework, and it was one example of how a robust information
technology infrastructure was helping the government better serve people.
“You can make information more accessible, collaborate more, and
people can do more to hold their elected officials more accountable,”
Chopra said.
Why are we using old, ancient, pathetically fragmented, hideously expensive proprietary software development models when far superior models exist? I agree that it is time to start a serious campaign and get governments to use the open source development model based on Collaborative Innovation and not just use open source software. My article on Collaborative Innovation is at:
www.osindia.blogspot.com/2009/02/collaborative-innovation-video.html
Thanks for this nice post. If the Indian government takes your advice, it will save thousands of crores of rupees!
It is specifically written here that an Open Source Version of OS is
preferred and as written above open standards have been given due importance.
It has also been mentioned that application software along with source code (only for customized software solutions) shall need to be supplied to the power utility by the implementation agency.
But so what, the lobby groups are strong and have money.
Until and unless we organise ourself and use each and every contact the good intentions in SRS prepared by MoP GoI will go down the drain. And the proprietary vendors will have another success story, “See we told you so, FLOSS does not work and not a single power utility company in India used it for R-APDRP”.