CONTROL ROOM DESIGN AND ERGONOMICS

APPLICATIONS FOR LARGE SCREEN SYSTEMS IN CONTROL ROOMS

Companies in various industry sectors are using large screen systems in their control rooms, where the display of process data in real time is of critical importance. Thus this technology is used by a range of process industries such as energy exploration, production, distribution, and waste disposal (for example, sewerage works, water­works, power plants, oil and gas transportation, public utilities, and waste incinera­tion). Transportation industries that also have process flows (of vehicles and people rather than minerals or liquids) also use large screen displays. Transport networks (including roads, highways, metro systems, railways, tramways, cross-channel ferry services, tunnels, airports, waterways, bridges, and traffic management centres) use this technology to monitor and control optimum flows in their systems.

Apart from process monitoring and control, other applications in industry and industrial processes include company security, for example, in security-conscious areas such as core refinery areas and manufacturing sites for nuclear fuels. Large screens also play a key role in workstations for the design and development of col­laborative projects, conferences (including teleconference facilities), and company presentations (both in-house and virtual).

An increasing area of use of this technology is in the security and surveillance industry, in both the government and private sectors. There is increasing use of CCTV surveillance in public environments such as town centres, shopping malls, roads and motorways, and car parks as well as semiprivate spaces such as offices, sports centres, lifts, and government buildings. In spite of protests from organisa­tions concerned with civil liberties, the use of CCTV is predicted to grow. Private security companies that offer organisations security and protection services have long used large screens in the control rooms for their operations. The control rooms of security centres (for example, in shopping malls) and of the emergency services (police, the fire service, and hospital and ambulance services) all use large screen displays in their central coordinating facilities.

The telecommunications industry has been a long-term user of large screens in its operations. These include: network operations centres, video conferencing, the control and management of data service centres, and network observation). Other areas for large screen use include simulations and the various industries involved in broadcasting and entertainment.