![[UC54] Network Model Diff Tool](https://www.awesense.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/use-case.svg)
[UC54] Network Model Diff Tool
Automatically detect and visualize what changed between any two versions of a distribution network model. Using a Git-style diff engine applied to versioned GIS snapshots, the tool classifies every asset-level change — additions, removals, attribute edits, and connectivity rewiring — and surfaces them on an interactive map with color-coded highlights, so engineers can instantly see where the grid has evolved without manual comparison.
The Utility Problem
Distribution network models are not static. They evolve continuously as utilities commission new assets, retire aging infrastructure, reconfigure feeders for load balancing, and respond to fault events. Each of these activities produces a new version of the network model — a snapshot of the grid at a specific point in time. Over months and years, a utility accumulates many such snapshots across its GIS, OMS, and planning systems, each potentially representing a different state of the same feeder or circuit.
Beyond tracking historical changes, utilities increasingly need to compare models for scenario planning purposes. Engineers routinely ask questions such as: What does the feeder look like after the proposed substation upgrade is complete? How does the planned reconfiguration differ from today’s topology? What changed between the model used in last year’s capacity study and the current operational model? Answering these questions currently requires engineers to compare models manually — a slow, labor-intensive process that is difficult to audit and prone to human error.
Without an automated comparison tool, discrepancies between model versions can propagate silently into planning studies, asset management decisions, and operational switching procedures — producing incorrect results that are only discovered after costly downstream consequences. The need for a systematic, feeder-level diff capability is therefore both an operational data governance requirement and a strategic planning enabler.
Awesense’s use cases are constantly evolving. Request free access to our Sandbox trial and GitHub repository to see the full use case descriptions and implementations, and to learn how you can create new use cases yourself.