Latin America. Technological innovations in visualization are advancing more and more every day. For control room operators, this helps them more efficiently monitor the increasing number of sources and applications they must observe.
"To set up a display solution, every control room designer should answer this question: How can operators monitor the large number of sources efficiently and ergonomically? The answer is through equipment designed to present solutions. Barco's technology meets the requirements that a control room demands and gives the user an optimal work tool," explained Manuel Navarrete Pérez, LVX Latin America leader of Barco.
By using visualization and collaboration technology, they can effectively manage information overload and thereby see better, share faster, and resolve any situation faster. For which, there are two scenarios that operators should know:
First Scenario: Commonly called "Personal Operating Image (POP)". In this scenario, operators rely exclusively on a customized, easy-to-use workspace to manage a multitude of data and sources.
Second Scenario: The room type "Common Operating Image (COP)" is different, in this scenario the operators combine a personal workspace with a large central video wall.
The Personal Operating Image (POP)
In this first scenario, for the control room sector, there is a growing trend towards more personal workspaces for operators, allowing them to interact personally with its content.
Although a video wall is probably the most obvious image you have of a control room, smaller rooms usually work without a common operating image on a large screen. Thanks to network display technology, it is perfectly possible to view, share and interact with the contents of the control room at the operator's personal workstation and on any screen that is connected to the network.
"With a solution like Barco OpSpace, operators can access any application in the personal workspace in front of them with a click and using just a keyboard and mouse. They can use the screen in front of them to interact with content, while maintaining an overview of other applications on peripheral screens," said Manuel Navarrete.
Although personal jobs are becoming increasingly important, viewing on large monitors continues to play a crucial role in decision-making processes. In this scenario, operators manage one or more applications in their personal workspace and monitor collaborative content on a general screen that provides context, such as dashboards, maps, or application summaries.
As control rooms scale to larger operations, the need for a Common Operating Image (COP), displayed on a large video wall, generally increases. In that case, there is more content to present, more stakeholders involved, and more decisions to make. The effectiveness of decision-making then depends on how easily traders can move from their personal view to the overall visualization.
"Barco's suite of network display solutions, such as videowall technology on our Unisee® displays and OpSpace control room software provide operators and decision makers with easy access to video, images and data, and allow them to connect to this information, configure how and where it is displayed and collaborate in the most effective way." Manuel Navarrete said.
The most powerful aspect of this solution is that all information is available on the network at all times. A set-top box can easily present it on a screen. It can be a videowall or from the operator's desk, but also from a crisis room. Information (or perspectives) can be easily shared between rooms, for optimal collaboration.
POP or COP? Which is better?
There is no single way to design a control room to manage operational information. Some are small, some are large. Some have videowall, others do not. First and foremost, setting up a visualization solution requires operators, supervisors, and other stakeholders to think about what information they need and what they want to do with it.
The important thing is to be clear about the needs of each company, and on this to be oriented to the needs of each one through the solutions that allow maximum performance between their team-worker relationship. Barco keeps its technology focused with the needs of operators in mind, while offering a product that meets every requirement businesses need.
