Control Rooms: Make Better Decisions With Workstation Integration

By Author: Deam Malmstrom
Total Articles: 2
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Control Rooms
Make Better Decisions with Workstation Integration

This white paper:

Focuses on decision-making as the first priority of control rooms
Examines the threats to effective decision-making
Presents the merits of workstation integration techniques

First Priority:
Make more effective decisions

The first priority of a control room is to make accurate, timely, and competent decisions. Operators must make instant judgments based on text, data, and graphic information from multiple computers and control systems. Many of these systems run automated processes, but rely on a human operator to intervene in exception-type situations. Other systems require continuous monitoring with
correctional or control inputs by the operator as needed.

Perfect Storm:
Threatens effective decision-making

In countless control rooms and operations centers around the world, a Perfect Storm is looming that threatens the integrity of decision-making. The elemental force driving this storm is a growing surge of information propelled by an ever increasing ...
... proliferation of separate computer and control systems. This seething sea of data overloads the senses to the point where the meaning of the information is lost in clouds of visual clutter.

The following elements threaten effective decision-making

Critical information is scattered and hard to find

The size and position of information, relative to an operator's field of view, is paramount in making good decisions. Ideally, information vital to the decision at hand would be directly in front of the operator, surrounded by important supporting information. Non-essential information would be de-emphasized and placed further out of the operator's field of focus to avoid confusion.

Multiple systems create chaos

Operators working simultaneously with three, four, or more different systems is a common sight in most control rooms. Operators are mired in complicated and confusing work positions with displays and keyboards strewn around control centers. Legacy systems are often impossible to integrate and newer systems frequently run incompatible hardware and operating systems. These systems have untold hours of development and are not easily replaced, modified, or integrated.

Solution:
Control information presentation

Workstation integration combines visual information from various incompatible systems onto a single workstation display without having to re-design or change each independent system. Modifying the individual control systems, which come from a variety of different sources, would be difficult at best or impossible at worst. However, workstation integration, using visual processing techniques, dissolves the need to modify these various systems anyway.

Summary and highlights of workstation integration techniques

Thumbnails

Sometimes all an operator needs is an overview of the state of a system. In this case, a high quality, real-time, thumbnail display better provides the required information. An operator can see at a glance that everything is working properly or that a problem exists which requires attention.

Sub-windows

At other times, the operator must focus on a specific area of a complex and visually busy display. In this case, a sub-window can be extremely important for maximizing operation efficiency.

A sub-window is an area, in a complex display image, that has specific information of current interest to the operator. An operator can create a separate window that focuses only on that area of interest from a complex display.

Powerful tool

The remarkably intuitive combination of thumbnail and sub-window technology creates a powerful tool for enhancing decision-making. The operator simultaneously has a complete overview of all systems and the ability to emphasize and focus on specific information that is critical at the moment.

Relative positioning

The relative positioning of information significantly impacts the way it is perceived and used. On most computers, users can create layouts of information, from various applications, in individual windows, and can switch back and forth between applications at will. An integrated workstation extends this capability, of creating layouts of information, to independent systems, where each window contains the display from a different computer system.

Save and recall

Operators frequently need to see the same layouts of information to perform their jobs effectively. With workstation integration, each operator can create and optimize a unique set of layouts that work perfectly in sync with his or her specific job function and work style. Most importantly, the
operator can save each layout of information for instant recall at a later time.

Share monitoring and control

The same technology that creates an integrated workstation also provides managers and operators unprecedented ability to share monitoring and control of multiple systems. Several operators could simultaneously see the same set of systems if the task requires it. At the same time, each operator could create unique sets of layouts of information relevant to that operator's particular task. Any of the operators could input data or even take control of a specific system if necessary.

Conclusion:
Conquer chaos of the Perfect Storm with integrated, intuitive decision-making

Leveraging workstation integration techniques enables operators to effectively organize, control, and use critical information to make better decisions. Operators simultaneously work with information from multiple systems on a single display. Thumbnails and sub-windows support seeing the big picture while focusing on critical details. Information can be arranged, saved, and recalled to support specific tasks. Control can easily be shared between multiple operators. And, this is done without having to change or modify existing legacy systems.

Workstation integration combines intuitive techniques of information presentation with enhanced operator control. Operators can now conquer chaos of the storm and make decisions better, faster, and more accurately.

Dean Malmstrom has several patents and patents pending in the area of control room integration.

Portalis LC
204 Fort Union Blvd, Suite 202
Midvale, UT 84047
801.352.9111
dean@portalislc.com