Utility Incident Prioritization via Subjective User Perception Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for prioritizing network faults in utility supply networks, such as mobile communications, rely on crude measures like user numbers and revenue, failing to accurately assess user impact and often require extensive computing resources, and do not provide a customer-centric view, leading to inefficient resource deployment and potential customer dissatisfaction.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that determines incident priority based on subjective user perception data, combining status checks and objective performance measurements to assess the impact on users, allowing for more effective resource allocation and customer communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If network operators use traditional alarm-based fault prioritization methods, then they can identify faults quickly, but they cannot efficiently allocate resources due to the large volume of alarms and warnings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters used for fault prioritization from traditional alarm types and user counts to a composite priority score based on multiple factors including user impact, revenue impact, and fault severity. This transforms the prioritization system from a simple alarm count approach to a multi-dimensional assessment model that better reflects actual network impact and resource allocation needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary prioritization system that sits between fault detection and resource allocation. This intermediary layer processes multiple data sources (alarms, user complaints, performance metrics) and generates a unified priority ranking, mediating between the raw fault data and the resource allocation decisions to improve both accuracy and efficiency.
2Reliability
If network operators respond to all alarms and warnings immediately, then customer satisfaction may improve, but operational costs and resource requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by responding immediately only to high-priority faults that genuinely impact customer experience, while scheduling lower-priority maintenance tasks during planned maintenance windows. This selective response strategy maintains customer service quality for critical issues while avoiding unnecessary resource consumption on minor problems that do not affect users.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the response threshold parameters by introducing a priority scoring system that dynamically determines which faults require immediate attention versus scheduled maintenance. By adjusting these parameters based on multiple factors including user impact and fault severity, the system optimizes the balance between service quality and resource consumption.
3Device complexity
If network operators rely on crude measures like user numbers and revenue for fault prioritization, then resource allocation simplifies, but accuracy in assessing actual user impact decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the prioritization assessment into multiple independent components: user impact metrics, revenue impact metrics, fault severity metrics, and historical performance data. Each segment is calculated separately using appropriate data sources and methods, then combined into a comprehensive priority score. This segmentation maintains relative simplicity while significantly improving assessment accuracy compared to crude single-factor measures.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method of determining a priority of an incident in a utility supply involves receiving an indication of the incident in the utility supply network, receiving subjective data relating to user perception of performance of the utility supply network and determining a priority of the incident based on the subjective data. Determining the priority may also involve using objective data about the performance of the utility supply network and information about known or planned outages.