The development status quo of wide area phasor measuring technology in China is reviewed. The integration techniques of wide area measurement system (WAMS) and other dispatching automation systems in the smart grid dispatching and control system of D5000

such as supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and protective relay and fault information system (FIS)

are described. WAMS data of multiple dispatching centers can also be shared as required in D5000. The obstacles that hinder the popularization of the phasor measurement unit (PMU)/WAMS are analyzed

including an analysis of electromagnetic transient events

real-time widearea control

transmission and processing of massive data

and the mechanism of enforced oscillation in the system control theory. Some suggestions on future orientation of PMU/WAMS are proposed. These solutions can be classified as the following aspects: extending the application areas

solving the transmission and processing problems of massive data

improving the capability of WAMS analysis technology

improving the quality and dynamic measurement performance of PMU.