ISA112 committee releases ISA112 SCADA Systems Lifecycle Diagram

Since its kick off in September 2016, the ISA’s newest standards committee ISA112 SCADA Systems has been hard at work developing a new standard to cover best practices for the design, implementation, and long term management of SCADA systems.  Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition systems, commonly referred to as SCADA systems, are a critical aspect of automation technology for a wide range of industries.  SCADA plays a major role in controlling/monitoring pipelines, electric transmission systems, rail/road systems, canals/tunnels/bridges and municipal water/wastewater infrastructure, along with many other industrial applications.  The role and usage of SCADA technology can vary considerably depending on the specific industry and geographic area.

After several years of work, the ISA112 committee is pleased to release interim drafts of its ISA112 SCADA lifecycle and ISA112 reference model architecture, which are now available for download on www.isa.org/isa112 .  The committee is expecting to have the first release of the ISA112 SCADA systems standard ready in 2022-23, which will be followed by several additional work products including technical reports.  Like many of ISA’s popular standards, it is expected the ISA112 SCADA systems standard will be published in several parts due to its breadth.

Download/View the ISA112 SCADA Systems Lifecycle Diagram (Direct PDF link)

Download/View the ISA112 SCADA Systems Model Architecture (Direct PDF link)

There is a strong drive by the ISA112’s members to develop a set of standardized terminology that can be used for specifying, designing, implementing and managing SCADA systems. The committee has also worked hard to develop an easily applicable ISA112 SCADA lifecycle that can be applied to both large and small SCADA systems, regardless of the industry and geographic area.

Headed by co-chairs Graham Nasby and Ian Verhappen, the ISA112 committee currently has over 150 members from a wide variety of backgrounds, roles and industries. The committee has a strong cohort of members that includes end-users, operating companies, engineering firms, vendors, distributors, contractors and system integration outfits.  The co-chairs, along with managing director Greg Lehmann, have worked hard to ensure the committee membership has broad representation from a wide span of sectors, including the municipal water/wastewater, pipeline, electric power, chemical, mining, environmental, and oil/gas industries.

Membership in the ISA112 SCADA Systems Standards committee is open to any interested individuals. Comments and feedback are also always welcome.  You can find your more about the ISA112 committee by visiting www.isa.org/isa112 or by contacting co-chairs Graham Nasby at graham.nasby@grahamnasby.com and Ian Verhappen at ian.verhappen@cima.ca .   Graham Nasby is also a long-time volunteer with the ISA water/wastewater division, and the WWID newsletter editor.