the present disclosure replaces a standard electric utility meter with a meter having a signal sensor , signal generator , and processor platform to stimulate broad software and firmware development innovation . the utility can then select the ‘ application ’ that best suits their analysis needs . the meter platform consists of 3 layers : physical interfaces , pre - processing resources , and applications processing & amp ; database . the physical interfaces include voltage , current , and load sensors , radio and plc communications , optical , and power control for advanced outage management . the increased processing capabilities combined with signal and data processing allow for true distributed intelligence in the smart grid . the physical layer , pre - processing dsp and firmware form open apis for third party developers .