Understanding Human-Machine Interaction in Today’s Control Rooms

Understanding Human-Machine Interaction in Today’s Control Rooms

To design the perfect space for control rooms and operations centers, you must ensure the simplicity and efficiency of human-machine interaction. Designing resilient and productive command centers involves meticulously considering various factors, and only the most experienced technology integrators have enough knowledge and skills to successfully integrate the right control room technology.

In today’s blog, we’ll explore three essential components the team at CTI takes into account during the design-build process. Let’s dive in!

SEE ALSO: Unraveling the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Command and Control Rooms

Before Deployment: Understanding Your Unique CONOPS

As the complexity and number of systems in command centers increase, understanding the Concept of Operations (CONOPS) becomes more critical than ever. CONOPS provides operational guidance, dictating how systems will be used and aiding in selecting and designing technologies. Unfortunately, technologies are often chosen and implemented without a thorough understanding of the organization’s CONOPS, leading to underperforming systems or rarely-used ‘shelfware.’

CONOPS is a dynamic entity, evolving as organizations, threats, and technologies change. Revising CONOPS in light of new systems and environments is critical when designing a command center. A well-developed CONOPS equips organizations to comprehend which systems are required, how they should be integrated, and the benefits they bring. The team at CTI takes the time to assess your unique concept of operations to ensure every system and installation in place helps you enhance the efficiency of your organization.

Controlling Your Ecosystem with Human-Machine Interfaces

Human-machine interfaces (HMIs) play a pivotal role in control rooms by facilitating the control and monitoring of industrial processes. Replacing traditional switches and controls with digital counterparts, HMIs simplify the adjustment and interaction with control processes. In control rooms, the importance of HMIs is continuously growing, meeting the increasing need for operators to interact and monitor processes efficiently.

HMIs enhance operational control and contribute to data analytics, improving safety and performance. By acting as a bridge between human operators and the complex logic of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) or remote terminal units (RTUs), HMIs offer a valuable layer of data interpretation that can completely transform your organization’s operations.

Advanced Operator Workstations Done Right

The evolution of AV solutions for operator workstations in control rooms has been a game-changer for control room solutions. Modern AV solutions, coupled with innovative IT protocols, bring more flexibility and allow users to interact with data and sources modularly. The workstations for the future are set to reshape operator experiences by offering unlimited source management, powerful data analytics and visualization, secure management of essential applications, and hardware-free operations, resulting in vastly improved efficiency and control.

A unified KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) connectivity and signal distribution system plays a pivotal role in addressing control room design requirements. It enhances the operator experience, improves situational awareness and reaction time, ensures your organization is always at top performance, and offers advantages like quiet and clean workspaces, flexibility and scalability, cost efficiency, and remote access.

At CTI, we are ready to help you design a control room that takes your operations to a new level of efficiency. We work across the US and, through the PSNI Global Alliance, anywhere in the world. Contact us to find out more about our innovative technologies and services!