PowerPlots.jl: An Open Source Power Grid Visualization and Data Analysis Framework for Academic Research

Abstract

Data visualization is essential for developing an understanding of a complex system. The power grid is one of the most complex systems in the world and effective power grid research visualization software must 1) be easy to use, 2) support unique data that may arise in research, and 3) be capable of creating custom figures for publication and presentation. However, no current software addresses all three of these needs. PowerPlots is an open-source data visualization tool for power grids that does address these needs. In addition, several tools created to support this software facilitate the analysis of power grid data by transforming the data into graph topology or data-frame data formats that are more compatible for some analyses. In this work, we use PowerPlots to investigate several case studies that involve exploring power grid data. These case studies demonstrate the valuable insights that are possible when using network visualization and how it can be applied to research applications.