scope:

The Common Information Model (CIM) is an abstract model that represents all the major objects in an electric utility enterprise typically involved in utility operations. By providing a standard way of representing power system resources as object classes and attributes, along with their relationships, the CIM facilitates the integration of Energy Management System (EMS) applications developed independently by different vendors, between entire EMS systems developed independently, or between an EMS system and other systems concerned with different aspects of power system operations, such as generation or distribution management. This is accomplished by defining a common language (i.e., semantics and syntax) based on the CIM to enable these applications or systems to access public data and exchange information independently of how such information is represented internally.