Much of the medium-voltage distribution network is built as rings or meshes but operated radially. The lines of two feeders physically reach each other, yet a switch between them is normally kept open. That switch, the open point, marks the boundary between the two feeders. During a fault or maintenance it can be closed so that load is picked up from the neighboring feeder.
Open points are among the least discussed and most decisive elements of a network. Where they sit determines how much load each feeder carries, how quickly an area can be re-supplied after a fault and how accurate the feeder information in the GIS really is.
The Open Point Defines the Feeder Boundary
Which assets a feeder supplies is defined by the connection running from the substation to the first open switch. Move an open point one pole forward or back, and a few transformers change feeder. That is why knowing the open points correctly is a precondition for feeder tracing.
Two problems come up again and again in the field. The first is switches with no recorded state: the switch exists in the GIS, but nobody knows whether it is open or closed. The second is states that were not updated after switching. In both cases, tracing through the topology reaches some assets from two feeders at once, and those assets are marked ambiguous. Ambiguity is very often the sign of a missing or misplaced open point.
Finding Where Feeders Meet
The first step in evaluating open point placement is seeing where feeders meet. On a large network, finding these points one by one on a map is tedious, but with a connected topology the places where the tracing boundaries of two feeders touch can be calculated.
Open point suggestions in GeoEner GIS do exactly that: they find where feeders meet and list candidate switches at those points. One rule matters here: switches with a known state are never suggested. Suggestions are only produced where the state is unknown; information already confirmed in the field is never second-guessed by the algorithm.
The Balance Criterion: Which Candidate Is Better?
In an area where two feeders meet, there may be several switches where the open point could go. Which one to pick is not only a topological question; it also has to make operational sense. Moving the open point toward one end puts more load on one feeder and relieves the other.
GeoEner GIS therefore scores candidates for balance. The scoring lets you compare how evenly each candidate location would split the network between the two feeders. The result is not a final verdict but a ranking that supports the decision: the planning team still weighs other factors such as protection coordination, switching practice and site conditions.
Preview, Select, Apply
Because changing an open point changes feeder boundaries, its effect should be visible before it is applied. In GeoEner GIS, suggestions are previewed on the map and applied selectively, so there is no need to accept every suggestion at once. After applying, feeder tracing is repeated and you can see whether the number of ambiguous assets has gone down.
Many organizations also keep their own open point list, compiled from the field. That list can be loaded from Excel, so known open points are processed first and suggestions only come into play for the remaining gaps.
Transformer Regions: The Same Logic on the LV Side
The open point discussion usually centers on MV feeders, but a similar question exists on the LV side: which LV line, which pole and which meter is supplied by which transformer?
In GeoEner GIS, transformers are treated as galvanic boundaries, and MV tracing does not cross to the LV side. The LV side is traced separately from each transformer, forming transformer regions. A transformer region is the calculated boundary of the network a transformer supplies on its LV side. It is a basic input when assessing transformer loading and customer distribution, estimating the impact of an outage and finding gaps in the LV network. Open switches are not crossed on the LV side either, so the boundary between neighboring transformer regions follows switch states.
Thinking Together with Feeder Creation from the Network
Open point placement means little unless the feeders themselves are defined correctly. In GeoEner GIS, feeders are created from the network through the substation, head line and head cell. A preview comes first, then the change is applied on confirmation, with items needing review listed separately. Where feeder numbers are not kept, feeders are opened from the substation and feeder name.
The practical sequence looks like this: create feeders from the network, run tracing, evaluate open point suggestions for ambiguous areas, apply the ones you select and trace again. Feeder reconciliation can then compare the calculated feeder with the existing GIS record.
Conclusion: Evaluate Your Open Points from the Network with GeoEner CBS
GeoEner GIS turns your network inventory into a connected topology and makes open point placement and transformer regions something you can calculate. Open point suggestions find where feeders meet, score candidates for balance and leave switches with a known state untouched; suggestions are previewed on the map and applied selectively, and your own list can be loaded from Excel. The LV side is traced separately from each transformer to form transformer regions, and all results appear on the Network Map colored by tracing status.
If you want to see where feeders meet on your network and how your open points stand in terms of balance, get in touch and we will set up a demo using your own data.
