Proper control room layout optimizes data visualization and interpretation for operations
As the electric industry is pushed to evolve, real-time visual analytics and three- and four-dimensional data will no longer be the exception but the norm. Unless the operator work environment is enhanced and the data presentation is streamlined and visually available for interpretation, an operator may be overwhelmed in an emergency. The proper planning, design and control room components (e.g., work space, networking, lighting, floor height, display wall, sound system, etc.) including the proper ergonomic alignment and layout of each component is crucial for optimal situation awareness and data interpretation.

What are the Key Components of a Control Room?
Key to the success of critical decision-making is the functional design of the control room itself. Integration firms specializing in mission-critical control room design are aware of the idiosyncrasies that contribute to a highly functional environment. Creating this environment begins with an information exchange with utility personnel who clearly understand the process, systems and applications of the control center environment. In addition to the physical components (e.g., work station and office location, lighting, acoustics, etc.), the software and other tools used by the operator must also be considered carefully. The resultant design and solution set is one that best meets the needs of the operations staff and their unique operating environment.

Within this design, there are four (4) critical factors or components to con­sider: Spatial, Ergonomic, Environmental and Functional, each of which is summarized below.

Spatial considerations include room size, layout of the workspaces, number of users and functional requirements. When evaluating the room size, consideration should be given to the number of workstations, individual offices, shared or common spaces, display wall requirements, and any other required equipment. Proper placement of this equipment requires analysis for the total physical space of each component as well as the appropriate line of sight.

A sight line analysis is a critical piece of any control room design to assure each user is aware of any visual data required of their operational performance. This analysis should include at a minimum, operator workstation viewing angles and display wall technologies. Combined, the proper placement of work station equipment (considering the monitor, keyboard and mouse in relation to the extended human reach) and the most favorable visual viewing scenarios (proper monitor height in relation to other work station equipment) provide the optimal work environment for control room operators.

Ergonomics is the study of the relationship between workers and their work environment and is an integral piece of the control room design. Operator positioning and comfort contribute to proper data interpretation. With the emergence of computers in the work environment, individuals spend more time in static positions while undertaking repetitive tasks. Proper ergonomic design minimizes the inherent risks of repetitive tasks, awkward posture and maintaining of a certain posture for a prolonged period of time.

Workspace design should allow the user to move and or change positions throughout the day. Useful ergonomic considerations include flexible mounting of fixtures for monitors, telephones, shelving and other accessories. Swivel arms allow movement, both vertically and horizontally, for monitors to accommodate a wide range of sightlines. Proper height, width and depth of workspaces will comfortably accommodate the knee space up to the 95th percentile for male operators. Proper positioning of lighting reduces glare on the monitors, thus reducing operator eyestrain. Providing the proper work environment is proven to increase productivity, improve work quality, heighten worker satisfaction, and most importantly, reduce or eliminate human error.

When designing a control room, consideration should be given to the environmental impacts in the room. These include the acoustics, electrical/HVAC and lighting. Proper design of the acoustics ideally suppresses all reverberant, mechanical and other noises of the area. The room should ensure speech privacy while controlling ambient noise levels and containing the electronic system noises from adjacent spaces. Redundancy, power conditioning (e.g., surge, EMI/RFI filtering), power circuit delay and sequencing, and proper grounding and bonding of electronic system components contribute to proper electrical design.

The HVAC system should handle the heat load of the electronic systems and control the temperature and humidity levels to remain in compliance of the electronic system specifications. Ideal ambient room temperature is recommended between 70 and 72 degrees F. The relative humidity of the area should be 45-65% with air movement less than 4 inches to 6 inches per second. Lighting can bring some unique challenges. Most times, control rooms use indirect light where the ceiling is used to reflect the light downward.

The ceiling reflectance value should be 0.8 or greater. Ideally, walls should be covered with a matte finish with a reflectance value of 0.5 to 0.6 and be off-white in color. Floor coverings should have a reflectance value of 0.2 to 0.3 for carpet and 0.25 to 0.15 for tile. Adjustable task lighting is recommended at each operator work position. If the room includes a display wall, any lighting in front of this wall should be greater than 40 foot-candles.

Many control rooms are enhanced with the addition of display technologies. These technologies allow improved visual representation of data, which can accelerate insight and interpretation, particularly at crucial moments. Special consideration should be given to equipment used in mission-critical applications since not all video panels are manufactured for 24x7 operation.

Equipment such as LCD panels can easily be tiled together to create a display wall. While this equipment is readily available and less expensive than rear or front-projection systems, these panels are not made for 24x7 operation.

Since these panels do not create a scalable image due to the larger mullion between panels, the operator is required to concentrate harder to interpret the data. Additionally, if static images are displayed for a prolonged period of time, the panel will create shadows of this image or suffer what is commonly referred to as “burn-in,” which is exacerbated by the persistence of the screen itself.

Front projectors – commonly used in boardrooms – are an option, but with some limitations. While they allow visualization of schematic, geographic and other types of displays, not all are rated for 24x7 operating environments. Also, the cooling fans asociated with projection-style displays can be an annoying distraction in the control room environment where concentration is of paramount importance. Front projectors will also require manual maintenance in the event of a malfunction, another potentially disruptive reality.

Video display cubes offer many attractive options including a range of technologies (i.e., LCD, DLP, etc.); multiple configurations and sizes; many resolutions; zero mullion design; and light, color and brightness management. These systems can be expanded to include audio and visual equipment, and can provide for inclusion of live video feeds such as news, weather and security cameras. Maintenance advantages of video cube displays include redundancy of components and lamps, automatic color reconfiguration and brightness modification.

To enhance the capabilities of the video display wall, software is often integrated to manage displays and provide flexible video feeds. This software offers advanced wall management control by interacting with the content sources to place the content on the wall. It also provides control of the data feeds for cameras, news and other visual content. Optional features are available to provide “screen scraping” of displays from other systems or to assign areas of the wall to specific users.

Adding data visualization software – software that inter-operates with the video display wall and wall management software to further improve the quality of the content displayed – is a key component to a successful display wall solution. In fact, it is the content that aids the operator in decision-making; not the hardware or the software.

So rather than scaling the existing data to create a larger display, the data can be built and enhanced for better and quicker analysis and may incorporate other tools such as graphics, charts, trends and symbols.

Exercising proper placement and consideration of each individual control room component leads to a work environment that is free of obstacles and that includes clear and unobstructed views of operational data while providing optimal situational awareness.

Critical Thinking and Situational Awareness
Critical thinking – as defined by noted authors Alec Fisher & Michael Scriven – is “skilled, active, interpretation and evaluation of observations, communications, information and argumentation.” Situational awareness (as defined by Wikipedia) is “the perception of environmental elements within a volume of time and space, the comprehension of their meaning and the projection of their status in the near future.” By applying these concepts and principles to the control room setting, operators are empowered to make decisions based on the information provided to them. In order for them to make effective decisions, it is imperative that they are provided with the required information, that the information comes from all necessary sources, that the data is received in a timely manner and that there isn’t any question as to the quality of the data.

Enhanced Decision Making and Situational Awareness
To enhance decision-making and improve situational awareness, map boards have traditionally been a useful control room component. As the need for more data moves into the control room, it is imperative that the operations staff has the proper tools available to improve processing and interpretation of this data.

Currently, control rooms use various kinds of display wall tools. These tools include metal or mosaic tile walls (including some with indication lighting), large-scale paper drawings and maps, electronic panels, (LCD or plasma), front projectors and front- or rear-projection video systems. And, it is not uncommon for control rooms to incorporate some or all of the above in various combinations.

The large static display walls typically represent a schematic view of important service areas or an entire service territory. While this comprehensive view is useful, it doesn’t offer real-time views or current system status. An operator still needs to interpret data from a workstation console and/or the wallboard and then mentally combine this data prior to deciding on a proper response.

When a static wall incorporates LEDs or digital displays, it begins to add a situational awareness dimension. This added functionality contributes to the functionality of the system by adding a dynamic dimension to the schematic view of the system. However, simple indicators are often limited in purpose and may not change in real-time as system changes occur. That is, the operating staff is still required to process data provided from multiple sources, as above.

By contrast, video display wall technologies can show multiple data images, providing a comprehensive real-time view of current system status. System schematics, geographic system representations, news and weather feeds, and video camera data can all be shown simultaneously. The operator is able to see, understand, analyze and then interpret the data quickly.

Today’s software technologies allow 2-, 3- and 4-dimensional images and give the control room operations staff the ability to view displays from many different systems. This data can be integrated into one display to obtain an enterprise wide-area view of current system status. For example, GIS map data can be displayed with real-time updates from SCADA and real-time weather maps to predict how an incoming storm may disrupt services. indeed, as Smart Grid data appli­cations are introduced and multiple forms of data are made available for analysis, the push for advanced display tools and technologies will likely accelerate. And, as technology is added to the grid, the expectation for improved customer service will likewise be heightened.

Conclusion
To enhance decision-making and improve situational awareness, map boards have traditionally been a useful control room component. As the need for more data moves into the control room, it is imperative that the operations staff has the proper tools available to improve processing and inter­pre­tation of this data.

About the Author

Mary Jo Nye joined the Control Room Group by AVI-SPL in 2009 bringing more than 11 years experience in the electric utility industry. Her work has concentrated on the design and deployment of SCADA/Energy Management System (EMS), Distribution Management Systems (DMS) and real-time cyber security solutions. Mary Jo can be reached at +1 813-451-4691 or via email to: maryjo.nye@avispl.com.