6  Axioms

Domain-specific rules that describe entity relations in the Alaska Community Ontology

Axioms are domain-specific rules that encapsulate what we know about the Classes.

• Axioms could form the basis of quality checks to entered data or the definition of the ontology. For instance, if the axioms include x = y and y = z, trying to enter an x that isn’t equal to z would fail a test.
• An Axiom should describe only one quality because it will eventually have a code-based test, and we want to keep those independent of each other.

6.1 Regions

6.1.1 State

• The State is defined to be Alaska
• All Communities are in the State

6.1.2 Community

• Communities are primarily determined by the expectations of the AEDG audience.
• Communities should be equal to a single entity (preferred)
• Transportation joins Communities
  • Transportation joins Communities to services such as fuel distribution
• A Community has a measured population
  • The DCRA uses Census Designated Places as Communities
    • A city could be separated into multiple Communities. For example, parts of Fairbanks such as College and Farmers Loop are listed separately in AEDG.

6.1.3 Indigenous

• Alaska Native village corporations are not subsets of Alaska Native regional corporations. These are independent types of entities.

6.1.4 Legislative Districts

• A Senate election district is composed of two contiguous house districts, if possible.
• Districts are redefined every 10 years after the federal census, and may change intermittently due to court challenges.
• HouseDistricts can contain multiple Communities.
• A single Community might intersect several HouseDistricts (example: Fairbanks)
  • Therefore: HouseDistrict population cannot be determined from a sum of Community populations.

6.1.5 Boroughs

• Communities can be unincorporated, meaning they are not in a Borough.
• If incorporated, a Community can only be in a single Borough
• There is one Unorganized Borough
  • The Unorganized Borough is split into CensusAreas for statistical purposes (not administrative)

6.1.6 Census

• Census blocks are not permanent through the decades. If a block is split, a suffix is added to the block number.
• Census blocks are not required to have population. They could be water-only.
• Census blocks nest within a census tract.
• Census tracks nest within state
• Census tracks nest within county, or the statistical equivalents of counties
• The optimum population of a census track is 4000 and the size is adjusted to accomplish that
• Census tracts occasionally are split due to population growth or merged as a result of substantial population decline.
• A Census Designated Place (CDP) can be located in more than one county
• A CDP cannot cross state boundaries.
• A CDP has a name that is different from adjacent places, but is not unique and can change.

6.1.7 Zip Codes (Optional)

• A ZipCode can contain multiple Communities, especially in rural areas.
• A single Community can contain multiple ZipCodes, especially in urban areas.

6.2 Energy-Related

• A Community can be served by multiple Energy Utilities

6.2.1 Grid

• A Grid is a physical structure that supplies electricity within a single Community or to multiple Communities
  • A Grid consists of physical entities: PowerStations and PowerLines
• A Grid can be subdivided into multiple Grids connected by Interties
  • An Interties is established on particular dates, so a Grid’s definition can evolve over time.
• NREL defines a microgrid as “a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources that acts as a single controllable entity with respect to the grid”.

6.2.2 Plant or PowerStation

• A Plant generates power and is connected to a Grid
• A Plant can also generate heat for distribution (Combined Heat and Power, CHP)
• A plant can generate power from waste heat (Waste Heat to Power, WHP)
• Some plants report to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) with Form 923
• In the Energy Statistics Workbooks, a Plant has a single Operator
  • An Operator can have multiple Plants
• A Plant runs on a reported fuel type such as coal or solar power.
• A Plant has generating units that are driven by a prime mover such as an internal combustion engine or photovoltaic cell.

6.2.3 Electric Utility

• An Electric Utility can operate a single Grid (KEA)
• An Electric Utility can operate multiple Grids (AVEC or AP&T)
• An Electric Utility can operate a subset of a Grid. In other words, a Grid could be operated by multiple Utilities
  • The Railbelt is serviced by 5 different Electric Utilities: Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA), Matanuska Electric Association (MEA), Chugach Electric Association (CEA), Homer Electric Association (HEA), and the City of Seward Electric System (SES).
  • Anchorage Municipal Light & Power (ML&P) used to make that 6, but they were absorbed by CEA
• Some Electric Utilities are eligible to report to the Power Cost Equalization (PCE) program
• Some Electric Utilities are required to report to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
• An Electric Utility can operate its own power generation (Plants) or purchase power from other Electric Utilities or Independent Power Producers
  • Not every Operator is a Electric Utility
• Electric Utility service areas are regulated by the RCA
  • In general, Electric Utilities cannot compete against each other (Section A.2)
  • Electric Utility service areas do not overlap
  • Utility service areas are measured in the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) - township, range, and section.
  • Utility service areas are documented by the RCA with PDF and KML maps
    • See CPCN 17: Kotzebue Electric Association, Inc.

Kotzebue Electric’s Service Area in Google Earth

6.2.4 IPP

• Many kinds of organizations can act as an Independent Power Producer (IPP), developing, owning, and operating renewable and other types of energy assets.
  • One such entity is a Tribal Independent Power Producer (IPP)
• A local load serving entity can buy power from an IPP and distribute it to customers.

6.3 Regarding Time

The assumption is that this needs to function for the current time only. Of course, boundaries change over time, and that these changes are of interest to researchers. However, the main users of AEDG have been defined as requiring current data to support future projects or to determine the success of existing projects. Researchers can download data and work out time-dependent issues for themselves.