MATERIAL
MATERIAL
MATERIAL
BY
AUGUST, 2021
ii
BY
AUGUST, 2021
iii
Declaration
This project is my original work and has not been presented for a degree in any other university.
No part of this project may be reproduced without the prior written permission of the author
AISHA_______________________________________(Signature)
Date:_________________________________________
iv
Approval
This is to certify that AISHA; 2031100011 undertook this research work DESIGN AND
fulfillment for the award of Bachelor of science (B.Sc.) Computer Science Degree 2021.
……………………………............. ................................................
Your Supervisor’s Name. Date
(Project Supervisor)
……………………………............. ................................................
HOD’s Name. Date
(Head of Department)
……………………………............. ................................................
Professor S.B. Junaidu Date
External Examiner
v
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Abstract
The aim of this project is to develop a web-based fault reporting system for Abuja
Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC). To achieve the aim and objectives of this
study, Object Oriented Methodology was adopted. The outcome of this project work is
expected to improve the way data is stored and retrieved and greatly improves the process
of reporting faults thereby, reducing the Mean time to restore (MTTR) faults. Both
primary and secondary methods of data collections were used for the purpose of this
study. The primary data were from gotten from oral awarding of questions to the AEDC
management and staff involved in fault reports and also complementing the interview is
personal observation of the routine of the current fault reporting system of the Abuja
Electricity Distribution Company. The secondary method of data used for this research is
the use of libraries which comprises of textbooks, past project works, the internet, and
other related works. Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) was used as the server side
programming language for the web application. JavaScript, Cascading Style Sheet and
HTML were used for developing client side application whereas Adobe Fireworks was
used for the graphics design of the web application. The result of the project work is a
web-based fault reporting system for Abuja Electricity Distribution Company.
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Table of Contents
Declaration.....................................................................................................................................iii
Approval.........................................................................................................................................iv
Dedication........................................................................................................................................v
Acknowledgement..........................................................................................................................vi
Abstract..........................................................................................................................................vii
Table of Contents.........................................................................................................................viii
List of Table....................................................................................................................................ix
List of Figures..................................................................................................................................x
CHAPTER ONE: Introduction........................................................................................................1
1.1 Background to the Study...................................................................................................1
1.2 Statement of the Problem..................................................................................................2
1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study......................................................................................3
1.4 Scope of the Study............................................................................................................3
1.5 Significance of the Study..................................................................................................4
1.6 Limitation of the Study.....................................................................................................4
1.7 Research Questions...........................................................................................................5
1.8 Definition of Terms...........................................................................................................5
CHAPTER TWO: Literature Review..............................................................................................7
2.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................7
2.2 Conceptual Framework.....................................................................................................7
2.2.1 Fault Reporting/ Management.......................................................................................7
2.2.2 Benefits of a Fault Reporting System............................................................................9
2.3 Resilience of Power Distribution Systems......................................................................10
2.4 Failures of the Poles of Electrical Distribution System..................................................12
2.5 Cost-Benefit Analysis.....................................................................................................12
2.6 Review of Related Studies..............................................................................................13
2.7 Summary of the Chapter.................................................................................................16
CHAPTER THREE: Research Methodology................................................................................17
3.1 Methodology Adopted for this Work..............................................................................17
3.2 System Analysis..............................................................................................................18
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List of Table
List of Figures
Figure 3.1:
Figure 3.2:
Figure 4.1:
1
organization. It will assist engineers in the electricity distribution center to log faults and
be able to escalate faults to expected Field engineers (Akinbinu, 2018). The Field
engineers are also expected to report observations and activities carried out in respect to a
particular fault to ensure the fault is closed appropriately from the system (Maduka,
2014). The Aim of the project is to improve on the process of escalation, tracking and
reporting of faults from a traditional method of typing in excel files to a more driven
ensuring quick and prompt escalation to all stakeholders, ensuring reports are delivered
The Fault Reporting System is a web-based application. So, it can be accessed by AEDC
clients from any region: any state, through any means: mobile devices, tablets, laptops
1. The Client Module: This is the interface where AEDC clients report faults detected
within their vicinity. This can be through uploading pictures, video footage or just simple
text messages, with the details of the location where the fault is detected so that AEDC
2. Admin Module: This is the interface of the Web-Based Application where AEDC staff
can view and access all reported faults from their clients, process it and dispatch a
The system can be accessed via a web browser on a personal computer, tablet or mobile
phone. It is against this background that this study tends to develop a fault reporting
The current Fault Reporting System adopted by the Abuja Electricity Distribution
Company (AEDC) is done manually. The AEDC staff log faults on Excel sheets on
computer systems and these faults are escalated by SMS (short message service) to field
engineers, reports are prepared as needed which could be cumbersome especially when
there is a need to get updates from field engineers over the phone or via SMS (short
message service) as regard failure on network elements (Abubakar & Bala, 2017). Also
when faults are detected via alarm systems to the network operations center engineer, the
process of escalating this fault to the field engineer is a slow process as the engineers
need to manually type the fault type into an SMS application platform and also manually
input the contacts of the appropriate field Engineers before sending out the SMS (Folarin
Operators in the electricity distribution industry are saddled with increasing competition
worldwide and their ability to provide uninterrupted services keeps them at the edge of
the market flow (Chukwudebe & Chika, 2016). To ensure the systems are properly
monitored most electricity distribution outfit have a Network operations center where all
3
faults are monitored adequately, logged for management purpose and escalated to the
The Fault Reporting System will ensure faults are logged, escalated and reported as
against different processes that are used to log, escalate and report faults on the network.
It will also provide a platform for escalation through SMS to all stakeholders involved. It
will also provide a wider query for reporting and provide better data analysis of faults
resolution details.
It is in light of the above stated problems that this research work tends to find a lasting
The main aim of this project is to develop a fault reporting system for AEDC clients.
1. Develop a web-based application for AEDC clients to report fallen electric poles,
2. To develop and test the prototype of the system with a centralized database for storing
3. Develop a web-based fault reporting system with a control panel where AEDC staff
This project work focus mainly on the design and implementation of a fault reporting
system that can be applicable to any electricity distribution company in Nigeria but with
4
stored and retrieved and greatly improves the process of reporting faults thereby,
The design and implementation of a fault reporting system will be of significant to staff
of this project will bring relief to the staff and management as the system will ensure
faults are logged, escalated and reported as against different processes that are used to
log, escalate and report faults on the network. It will also provide a platform for
escalation through SMS to all stakeholders involved. It will also provide a wider query
for reporting and provide better data analysis of faults resolution details.
This study is also significant to other researchers who may want to carry out research in
the same study area as this report will serve as a guide and resource material to carry out
This study “Design and Implementation of a Fault Reporting System for AEDC” has the
following limitation:
1. What are the features of the existing fault reporting system adopted by Abuja
2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the existing fault reporting system adopted
3. What are the alternative solutions to the weaknesses/problems of the existing fault
Fault: is an imperfection in the electrical circuit due to which current is deflected from
the intended path. In other words, the fault is the abnormal condition of the electrical
system which damages the electrical equipment and disturbs the normal flow of the
electric current.
licensee or any interconnected public electronic communications network, and that is not
found to be invalid.
Web Application: is application software that runs on a web server, unlike computer-
based software programs that are run locally on the operating system (OS) of the device.
Web applications are accessed by the user through a web browser with an active network
connection.
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Storing: is the action of saving information for later use. With computers, you store
information on a storage device, such as an internal hard drive, optical disc drive, or an
Accessing: is simply the process of being able to get what you need. Data access is being
able to get to (usually having permission to use) particular data on a computer. Web
access means having a connection to the World Wide Web through an access provider.
Data: referred to known facts that could be recorded and stored on computer media.
Computer Program: This is a set of instruction that guides the computer on the action to
perform.
2.1 Introduction
This chapter presents and reviews the relevant literature that has been documented by
various scholars and authors in the area of the study. The literature was reviewed in
accordance with the major themes of the study as identified in the specific objectives.
Fault reporting allows users and contractors such as the field engineers to view and
review all stages of a electrical fault incident through a consolidated report. The web
portal report is accessible anytime, anywhere with an internet connection. This function
allows users to file a fault incident via an online web portal or mobile application.
Indication of the specific area, location and type of equipment that require for service are
According to Salman et al. (2015) when using a fault reporting system, an email or SMS
notification will be sent to relevant contractors once a fault incident is filed. Contractors
can update the remedial action taken via the mobile application. Once the case is closed,
a rectification SMS will be sent to notify the user and management. Live monitoring and
summary report of fault incidents filed will also be available for viewing via the online
Fault management is defined as the characteristic by which a distributed system can mask
the fault’s occurrence and recover from it (Gadgil et al., 2017). This means that when a
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system can determine a fault and recover from it, then we can say that it has fault
management capability. The main role for fault management is to increase the ability of a
system to perform its function correctly even in the presence of internal faults, thus
increasing the dependability of a system (Burns and Wellings, 2011). Three main actions
must be performed at any fault occurrence; i.e detection, reporting and recovery (Denaro
et al., 2016).
Fault detection is the first step in the system to assess if a specific functionality is, or will
be faulty. After the system has detected a fault, the next step is to report the faults and
then prevent or recover from this fault, this is defined as fault recovery. The goal of fault
detection is to verify that the services being provided are functioning properly. The
simplest way to perform such a task is through observation (e.g., log file) and manual
removal of incorrect values. The techniques for detection are the following: self
diagnosis, group detection and hierarchical detection. Through self diagnosis the node
itself can identify faults in its components. With group detection, several nodes monitor
performed using a detection tree where a hierarchy is defined for the identification of
According to Liu et al. (2019), there are two general techniques used for developing
1. Fault tolerance aims to control either hardware or software faults and continues the
method used is exception handling, which provides activities to handle various faults
2. Fault management provides users with information of existing faults as accurately and
Chukwudebe & Chika (2016) reported the following as the benefits of a fault reporting
system:
A central channel is utilized to monitor incoming fault incidents. This helps to decrease
the downtime and number of unattended cases. Any fault incidents filed will also be sent
to the respective service team immediately for the next course of action. Latest servicing
Upon receiving a fault incident, system alert will trigger a notification SMS or email to
the relevant service team for immediate service remedial. This minimizes service
downtime and users complaints, in turn, improves users experience. Paperless fault
incidents records and invoices are also readily available through emails.
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Experience full transparency with real-time service report using GPS tracking and images
with digital signatures which helps in minimizing miscommunication between users and
service team. Proof of service will also be provided to validate any disputes and
complaints.
As the severity and frequency of natural hazard-induced disasters increase year by year
(NOAA 2017), utility companies are very keen to develop resilient power distribution
systems. An electric pole-based resilience assessment can establish a strong base for
prestorm planning. The literature shows a variety of definitions of resilience, and there is
no consensus on the one accepted definition of the term. Resilience can be simply defined
as the capability of a system to anticipate and absorb threats to mitigate adverse effects as
well as develop response and recovery actions to resume its normal operations (Eren
Tokgoz and Gheorghe, 2013). According to Hosseini et al. (2016), resilience is ‘‘the
event that disrupts its state.’’ Similarly, Nan and Sansavini (2017) define resilience
reducing the initial negative impacts, by adapting itself to them and by recovering from
them.’’
Haimes (2009) also defines resilience as ‘‘the ability of the system to withstand a major
disruption within acceptable degradation parameters and to recover with a suitable time
and reasonable costs and risks.’’ The concept of resilience is multidimensional, and the
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consider all possible factors and vulnerabilities against various disasters, but preparation,
response, recovery, and mitigation efforts, which are resilience strategies, can reduce the
adverse consequences of disasters (Eren Tokgoz et al., 2017). Carlson et al. (2012)
claimed that the concept of resilience plays a vital role in assessing the threats for various
and the nation. Resilience can be assessed at the asset/facility level and critical
to critical infrastructure owners, operators, state, and local partners. Power distribution
systems are complex systems and increasing their resilience by implementation of some
several complexities, such as a lower rate of future return, strict regulatory restrictions by
the Public Utility Commission (PUC), lack of strong value propositions, and inadequate
incentives (Mukhopadhyay and Hastak, 2016). Mukhopadhyay and Hastak stated that the
present investment analysis framework has flaws; hence it is not cogent and persuasive to
PUC. A report published by the U.S. Executive Office of the President mentioned that
investment in electric grid modernizations and increased resilience of the electric grids
would reduce hardship and recovery time during weather-related disasters as well as cut
down the costs associated with damages based on these disasters over time (Executive
Office of the President, 2013). According to this report, the annual cost of lost power due
to outage consists of foregone output and wages, spoiled inventory, delayed production,
Several studies have been conducted on the failure of utility poles in the power
distribution system. Shafieezadeh et al. (2013) found that wooden poles often fail due to
a wind load greater than the flexural capacity of a pole. Han (2008) examined two
mechanisms that cause the failure of poles flexural failure due to the wind load and
foundation failure. A structural analysis involving wind loads and the probabilities of
failure has been conducted in the Caribbean Disaster Mitigation Project (1996). In this
project, the wooden pole was assumed to be a cantilever beam that will fail if the bending
stress exceeds the modulus rupture of a pole. Taras et al. (2004) argued that the strength
of a pole is subject to decay over time and a pole may fail due to lateral bending. United
States utility companies have struggled to strike a balance between over- and under
preparation because they lack a rigorous methodology with which to estimate the damage
caused by hurricane winds (Guikema et al. 2010). Various methods have been proposed
disasters and to decrease the time required to restore damaged systems. These efforts can
be largely divided into two groups: predictive models and storm hardening models
Several studies have been conducted to perform a cost–benefit analysis on upgrading the
electric power distribution network. In the Caribbean Disaster Mitigation Project (1996),
damage due to hurricanes. The results of the analysis revealed that the replacement of the
wooden poles in a high voltage network with Class 1 poles results in a significant cost
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saving, but the same action with the lower voltage network is over investment. Taras et
al. (2004) considered the cost of poles, labor expenses, and power outage cost as the cost
utility infrastructure upgrades and storm hardening programs based on data collected
from several utility companies. In Quanta report, the estimated benefits were calculated
against the duration of a power outage and the projected rate of failure or damage.
Results were evaluated by selecting and strengthen 10% of distribution poles in Texas,
the United States. The potential net benefit from the hardening was estimated as well.
However, it did not show how the most vulnerable part of the distribution network was
Chang (2003) developed a framework of extended life-cycle cost to evaluate efforts for
four major costs-planned cost, associated cost imposed on the society, unplanned cost,
and societal cost due to a power outage. Salman et al. (2015) adopted Chang’s framework
system that is susceptible to the impact of hurricane damage under both probabilistic and
Jorge et al. (2016), proposed an intelligent, low cost system, which monitors the behavior
analyze the collected data, detect possible faults, and report this situation to the user. This
system is designed to adopt old generation electronics. Also the necessary interventions
are given in form of TV displays, etc. Fault detection and diagnosis systems available in
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real-time and on-line add ease of management to domestic appliances. Fault detection is
systems behavior.
Pravesh & Shilpi (2018)., intends to detail how to make the sensor system, low
maintenance and self-healing. All the civilized communities across the universe are
spending a lot on the maintenance since it affects the physical, mental and spiritual
wellbeing. This maintenance can be divided into two phases. First phase is observing and
reporting. The better the observation and reporting, the better and faster are the chances
of a quality resolution of the issues. It is noted by psychologists that human mind find it
difficult to take effort and record community issues. Also studies has proved that machine
or devices behave much better in both these phases of maintenance, and if these phases
are combined into single coordinated and combined ecosystem, the sensor machines can
Junghee et al., (2018) proposed a self diagnosis technique for faulty node identification in
experiments that the proposed methodology can detect 92.66% of failures, regardless of
Timo et al. (2015) proposed a method DICE, to detect and identify faulty IoT devices
with context extraction. DICE identified faulty devices successfully with an average of
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94.9% precision and 92.5% recall. Our system took an average 3 minutes to detect faults
Tanaya & Paresh (2017) proposed a data logger system which will act like a fault
diagnostic system for mechanical engine and log the data on the web server for remote
access. This is implemented using the Controlled Area Network (CAN) protocol for
communication and Raspberry Pi which is a card size computer which acts like an
Internet of things (IOT) device. The development and design of data logger system
depends on the application on which it will work. The fault diagnostics system is done in
Guikema et al. (2010) developed a model to predict the number of utility poles that need
Salman et al. (2015) applied fragility analysis and Monte Carlo simulation to determine
the probability of pole failure with varying wind speeds from which they proposed
the resilience of the electric power system in which poles are considered to estimate the
Shafieezadeh et al. (2013) developed a fragility curve of wooden poles based on the
moment capacity of the pole and the moment demand placed on those poles by wind
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loads. However, they did not consider the deflection and deformation of a pole incurred
by wind loads;
Darestani et al. (2016) proposed a boundary model to capture the boundary effects of
adjacent wooden poles in response to wind-induced forces. They used a time dependent
decay model and a probabilistic wind model to perform a Monte Carlo simulation to
This chapter presents and reviews the relevant literature that has been documented by
various scholars and authors in the area of the study. The literature was reviewed in
accordance with the major themes of the study as identified in the specific objectives.
i. Conceptual framework
The methodology adopted for this research work is object oriented methodology (OOP).
business, and in the products that we use. They can be categorized, described, organized,
Therefore, an object-oriented view has come into picture for creation of computer
software. This methodology asks the analyst to determine what the objects of the system
are, how they behave over time or in response to events, and what responsibilities and
relationships an object has to other objects. Object-oriented analysis has the analyst look
at all the objects in a system, their commonalties, difference, and how the system needs to
manipulate the objects. OOM of building systems takes the objects as the basis, Firstly,
the system to be developed is observed and analyzed and the requirements are defined.
Secondly, the objects in the required system are identified e.g. AEDC clients, admin,
computer systems, online fault reporting system etc. in simple terms, OOM is based on
identifying the objects in a system and their interrelationships, once this is done, the
The basic steps of system designing using Object Modeling may be listed as:
a. System Analysis
b. System Design
c. Object Design
d. Implementation
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Object Oriented Methodology closely represents the problem domain. Because of this, it
is easier to produce and understand designs. The objects in the system are immune to
Object Oriented Methodology designs encourage more re-use. New applications can use
the existing modules, thereby reduces the development cost and cycle time.
Object Oriented Methodology approach is more natural. It provides nice structures for
involved, identifying problems and recommending feasible suggestions for improving the
functionality of the system. This involves studying the business processes, entity
relationships gathering operational data, understand the information flow, finding out
bottlenecks and evolving solutions for overcoming the weaknesses of the system so as to
achieve the organizational goals. System Analysis also includes decoupling of complex
processes that make up the entire system, identification of data store and manual
processes.
The current Fault Reporting System adopted by the Abuja Electricity Distribution
Company (AEDC) is done using computer systems but not web-based. The AEDC staff
log faults on Excel sheets on computer systems and these faults are escalated by SMS
19
(short message service) to field engineers, reports are prepared as needed which could be
cumbersome especially when there is a need to get updates from field engineers over the
phone or via SMS (short message service) as regard failure on network elements. Also
when faults are detected via alarm systems to the network operations center engineer, the
process of escalating this fault to the field engineer is a slow process as the engineers
need to manually type the fault type into an SMS application platform and also manually
input the contacts of the appropriate field Engineers before sending out the SMS.
The existing system enables the AEDC staff to log faults on Excel sheets on computer
systems and these faults are escalated by SMS (short message service) to field engineers.
The existing system even though is not completely paper-based makes use of computer
The existing system is characterized but not limited to the following inefficiencies:
a) The current system is vulnerable to natural disaster like flood, fire outbreak and
b) The current system lacks a web-based database for the storage of files which makes
c) Lots of time is devoted to the filling of forms in logical for easy retrieval of
information.
users.
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The alternative solution to these identified problems with the existing system is
development of a web-based fault reporting system; the proposed system will eliminate
the problems encountered in the manual system. If implemented, it will play a great role
such as:
Increase efficiency: the computerized system formulates accurate efficiency, faster and
Storage: the new system provides a better means of information storage, all records
related to electrical faults are stored on a centralized database and encrypted to avoid
unauthorized access.
Error free: the new system with the computer intervention in processing, errors will be
avoided or minimized.
Speed: the new system offers the AEDC staff and the management an opportunity to
retrieve and sort files in the shortest possible time compared to the manual method.
After a thorough analysis of the existing system and a careful feasibility study to find out
if there is need for automation of the existing system, the adoption and implementation of
the proposed system will in no doubt be of great benefit to the organization (Abuja
Electricity Distribution Company) which will help in overhauling the current system
concurrency problem.
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The proposed Fault Reporting System is a web-based application. So, it can be accessed by
AEDC clients from any region: any state, through any means: mobile devices, tablets, laptops etc.
The system can be accessed via a web browser on a personal computer, tablet or mobile phone.
The Fault Reporting System is a web-based application. So, it can be accessed by AEDC
clients from any region: any state, through any means: mobile devices, tablets, laptops
The Client Module: This is the interface where AEDC clients report faults detected
within their vicinity. This can be through uploading pictures, video footage or just simple
text messages, with the details of the location where the fault is detected so that AEDC
Admin Module: This is the interface of the web-based application where AEDC staff
can view and access all reported faults from their clients, process it and dispatch a
response team for repairs. The system can be accessed via a web browser on a personal
The Fault Reporting System will ensure faults are logged, escalated and reported as
against different processes that are used to log, escalate and report faults on the network.
It will also provide a platform for escalation through SMS to all stakeholders involved. It
will also provide a wider query for reporting and provide better data analysis of faults
resolution details.
22
decrease the downtime and number of unattended cases. Any fault incidents filed will
also be sent to the respective service team immediately for the next course of action.
b) Upon receiving a fault incident, system alert will trigger a notification SMS or email
to the relevant service team for immediate service remedial. This minimizes service
downtime and users complaints, in turn, improves users experience. Paperless fault
incidents records and invoices are also readily available through emails.
c) Experience full transparency with real-time service report using GPS tracking and
users and service team. Proof of service will also be provided to validate any disputes
and complaints.
d) The proposed system can be accessed by AEDC clients from any region: any state, through
e) The proposed fault reporting system can be accessed via a web browser on a personal
b) It will take time to train the adequate manpower required to operate the proposed
system.
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For the purpose of this project work, data were collected from both primary and
This primarily centers on direct involvement with personnel or experts in the field of
discipline the researcher is carrying out his/ her research on. The major tool for the
staff involved in fault reports. The accuracy in using this method of obtaining data for
processing is high because there are no assumed figures or data. The information gotten
is trusted to be genuine. The awarding of oral questions to respondents was to aid the
researcher get a leverage ground of the technical know-how of the impact of the use of
the web especially in Abuja Electricity Distribution Company which is chosen as the case
study for this research. All this aimed towards arriving at a good conclusion.
of the current fault reporting system of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company.
The secondary method of data used for this research is the use of libraries which
comprises of textbooks, past project works, the internet, and other related works. This
method of data collection is to broaden the scope of the researcher and to look into
24
several peoples work and what has been done so far in order to give his/her own quota to
The system design shows the blueprint of any system that is to be developed. It gives the
very detail about every component of the system that is to be built. Here the researcher
gives the general outline of the final product (what could be referred to as manual). The
various procedure of usage of the new system is given here, i.e. how to, what to and on
what shall the system be used on. The importance of the design is to enable system
designer or researcher to know the cost consequence of the product on the user and the
developer. In that the effectiveness of the system will not be obsolete. (Investing much
A Data Flow Diagram (DFD) is a structured analysis and design tool that can be used for
flowcharting. A DFD is a network that describes the flow of data and the processes that
change or transform the data throughout a system. This network is constructed by using a
set of symbols that do not imply any physical implementation. It has the purpose of
point of the design phase that functionally decomposes the requirements specifications
down to the lowest level of detail. DFD can be considered to an abstraction of the logic of
DFD’s are often referred to as logical data flow diagrams. Below is the dataflow diagram
Start
Login Register
Request login credentials
Manage AEDC
View Reported View Statistics of View List of Registered
Clients
Faults Faults by location AEDC Clients
Database
Web Application
Use case diagrams describe what a system does from the standpoint of an external
observer. The emphasis of use case diagrams is on what a system does rather than how.
They are used to show the interactions between users of the system and the system. A use
case represents the several users called actors and the different ways in which they
Below is the diagram of the use case for the proposed system.
Register
Login/Logout
Report Fault
Actors: The actors in the proposed system are the AEDC Admin/Staff and the AEDC
Client
Use Cases: The use cases in the proposed system are: Login/logout, Register, report
faults, manage AEDC client’s database, view reported faults, view statistics of faults by
To be used efficiently, all computer software needs certain hardware components or other
absolute rule. Below are the requirements for the proposed system:
The input requirements includes: users ID, AEDC clients’ details, staff details, locations,
etc.
The output requirements includes: fault reports, fault locations, staff information, client’s
The hardware is the physical and tangible components of a system unit which will
The system requirements and minimum specifications for running the application are
given below:
1. Operating Systems: Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Android (the Web Application
The information on the database of the website which is in formatted tables, making it a
relational database, it has to be regularly updated and edited. Implying that there should
be masters file which according to Mr. Adegoke (introduction to file processing, 2008) is
not permanent in nature, since it has to reflect current changes to reflect the current
events as they unfold. Among the tables to be regarded as master files in this research
work is;
The admin account table stores details and data of all the admin in the database. Details
such as the admin id, admin’s name, email, phone number, username, password etc. The
The client account table stores details and data of all the registered clients in the database.
Details such as the client id, name, email, phone number, gender, state, L.G.A, address,
The reports table stores the details of faults reports stored in the database. Details such as
client_id, fault, state, LGA, address, date, report, evidence, certification, action etc.
The technologies/tools that will be used for this work are as follows:
Programming Language:
Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) will be used as the server side programming language for
the web application. Consequently, JavaScript, Cascading Style Sheet and HTML will be
used for developing client side application. Adobe Fireworks will be used for the
Database Architecture:
MySQL relational database management system will be adopted to store all the reports of
AEDC clients from the web application, including the text, pictures and videos. However,
the videos will be stored in a secure folder on the web server for efficiency. MySQL
implements SQL (Structured Query Language), which is used for storing, manipulating
It is scalable
High flexibility
Client/server architecture
of transactions etc.
32
4.1 Introduction
This chapter presents the discussion of the outcome of the proposed system (Fault
reporting system: A Case Study of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company) the details of
the web application showing the various modules. This chapter summarizes the project
from its objectives to implementation and results. The project primarily aimed at
mitigating the difficulty faced in detecting and locating the electrical faults in the
distribution level.
Below are the system modules and how the system operates, it will give the users better
understanding of how the system works. There are two different users of this system; the
admin and the AEDC clients. Each of the user has his different activities in the system.
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The client’s login page is the page where users of the system (AEDC clients) can login
and have access to their dashboard. The clients will use their username and password to
gain access to their dashboard. Each client must be registered before gaining access to
The client’s registration page is the page where each AEDC client must sign up so as to
become a user of the system. Each client fills in the sign up form so as to get his/her data
in the database for retrieval when needed. After filling the form, on clicking the signup
The admin login page is the page where the admin of the system i.e the AEDC staff logs
in with using their login credentials (username and password) to gain access to the
The login by imputing his username and password then click on the button ‘sign in’, if
the username and password are valid, the will then grant the admin acess. Below is the
The admin dashboard is the page that is displayed to the admin after a successful login
with a valid username and password. As can be seen from the left hand side of the figure
below are the activities executable by the admin. The admin can view the client’s
database, view the statistics of fault’s report, edit his profile, change his/her username and
On this page, the AEDC client can report any case or fault of fallen poles. The client
report the fault of a fallen pole by filling the falling poles report form. There are several
other reports that can submitted by a client such as; report of low current, report of spark
wire, report of loss of face, report of loss of supply, report of high voltage and current etc.
The page is build in such a way that a client can add an attachment of either a picture or
anything so as to viewed by the AEDC clients. Below is the figure showing the falling
As one of the activities that can be performed by the admin who must be a staff of the
AEDC, the staff can view the client’s database by clicking the button AEDC client’s
database. The admin can delete a client if he so desires to by clicking on the button delete
This page displays the list of reported electrical faults as submitted by the AEDC clients.
As one of the task that can be performed by the admin, the admin can view the list of
reported electrical faults, the admin can also take an action by clicking on the button
‘resolve fault’ and also view evidence of the reported electrical faults by clicking on the
The admin profile update page is the page where the admin can edit his profile. The
admin perform such task by filling ‘profile edit form’. On clicking the button ‘save
changes’, the admin’s profile information is updated in the database. Below is the figure
The client profile update page is the page where the client can edit his profile. The client
perform such task by filling ‘profile edit form’. On clicking the button ‘save changes’, the
clien’s profile information is updated in the database. Below is the figure showing the
On this page the admin can view the statistical reports of faults. The admin perform such
task by simply clicking on the button ‘statistics reports’. Below is the figure showing the
On this page a client can change his username and password. The client does that by
filling the form shown below. On clicking the button ‘save changes’, the client’s login
5.1 Summary
The main aim of this project is to develop a web-based fault reporting system using
Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) as a case study. Other objectives of the
study are; to develop a web-based application for AEDC clients to report fallen electric
poles, sparks, leakages and other electrical fault within their vicinity, to develop a
centralized database for storing and managing all reported faults by AEDC clients and to
develop a web-based control panel (admin module) where AEDC staff can view and
access reported faults for consequent action. To achieve the aim and objectives of this
study, Object Oriented Methodology was adopted. The outcome of this project work is
expected to improve the way data is stored and retrieved and greatly improves the process
of reporting faults thereby, reducing the Mean time to restore (MTTR) faults.
Both primary and secondary methods of data collections were used for the purpose of this
study. The primary data were from gotten from oral awarding of questions to the AEDC
management and staff involved in fault reports and also complementing the interview is
personal observation of the routine of the current fault reporting system of the Abuja
Electricity Distribution Company. The secondary method of data used for this research is
the use of libraries which comprises of textbooks, past project works, the internet, and
Data flow and use case diagrams were used to explain the system architecture of the
proposed web-based fault reporting system. Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) was used as
the server side programming language for the web application. JavaScript, Cascading
45
Style Sheet and HTML were used for developing client side application whereas Adobe
Fireworks was used for the graphics design of the web application. The result of the
project work is a web-based fault reporting system for Abuja Electricity Distribution
Company.
5.2 Conclusion
This project was tested for performance and proved to be working according to the design
indicating the fault location, reporting faults to the AEDC clients from the control room
as well as the magnitude of fault, report of fallen electric poles, sparks, leakages and
other electrical fault within their vicinity. The accuracy depends on the specifications in
the instruction codes. On the other hand, all the specific objectives were achieved as well
Before now in Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, when faults are reported, the
field engineers either notifies the appropriate individuals by a call and SMS, records the
fault in a book or an excel file and waiting till the fault is resolved. This system has been
developed to aggregate all the functions of the field engineers into a system that logs the
fault, tracks the fault, notifies via an SMS and generates a report accordingly thereby
improving the efficiency of the operations by 70.48% in comparison to the old system.
The design and implementation of this web-based fault reporting software became
necessary because the manual diagnosis method is inefficient. The design and
implementation of this web-based fault reporting system will be of significant to staff and
this project will bring relief to the staff and management as the system will ensure faults
are logged, escalated and reported as against different processes that are used to log,
escalate and report faults on the network. It will also provide a platform for escalation
through SMS to all stakeholders involved. It will also provide a wider query for reporting
5.3 Recommendation
2. The system can only detect electrical faults and report the faults detected to the
field engineers but not resolve the faults so users should ensure they report any
slight in change of any electrical fault as valuable human life can be lost due to
negligence.
47
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