Datapath Ltd.

The challenge for operators

Feb. 10, 2023 - A control room's primary purpose is to provide and monitor all required information so that decisions and actions can be made in response to specific circumstances.

Now found in a broad range of sectors ranging from meteorological centers to defence, from transport hubs to mineral mines, the control room solution has become so prevalent that the subject warrants its own Wiki page.

However, as good as the control room is – be it in the design or the technology used – it is the operators who determine how efficient operations inside, and outside, the control room are in times of need. Empowering these operators with instant information-sharing tools is critical to ensuring decisions and actions are made as soon as possible to minimize and manage risk to resources, security and, potentially, life itself.

Today's control rooms bring content to the operator like never before. It is not uncommon for information sources to be in the hundreds – with camera feeds, websites, satellite TV and bespoke software all requiring real-time monitoring and control for smooth operations and swift decision making in times of crises.

It is typical for control room operators to be assigned responsibility for a specific task in the organization – monitoring drilling procedures on an off-shore oil platform, for example – where operators need all relevant data and information on 'their area', as well as an overview of information related to the running of the operation on a shared video wall.

Getting personal

It is here that Datapath bring an offering unique to the market, with a solution that empowers operators to have their own 'personal video wall' at their workstation. Operators can easily populate their displays with any content available in the control room for monitoring and control. Where wider team collaboration or escalation is required, operators can instantly send content from their local workstation to any connected video wall.

Users segment and section their 'personal video wall' desktop surface using templates and layouts, allowing them to open multiple sources across their entire desktop canvas with a single click. With Aetria, operators work with far more flexibility and efficiency than ever before, it addresses many of the potential pain points experienced in today's complex control room environments.

Organize your data, your way

The volume of data in today's control rooms and NOC's can sometimes be overwhelming. With layout files and user templates, operators can organize the data they need on their workstation at any given time.

One interface to rule them all

Having a single interface to monitor and manage content brings a streamlined working process and reduces operator stress. Operators can instantly access and control any source in real-time – even when the source is located remotely – with managed access and permitted user rights. Time is a precious commodity but with Aetria, operators are able to focus on their primary objectives, quicker and easier.

Brining remote access closer

Aetria is provided with an easy-to-use web interface that can be accessed from any mobile and tablet device, enabling operators to access video wall content and change its display layouts if needed.

Consolidation

Aetria fully functional and documented API allows easy integration into third party tools and systems for simplified access, monitoring and control. This enables variety of sources to be consolidated into the operator's personal video wall, removing operator frustration with managing different applications, potentially using individual keyboards, mice, and displays for each one.

Solidly secure

Critical for successful control room deployments, security has been a key focus for Aetria throughout its development. With fully integrated user rights management, administrators are given fine-grained control of access to all Aetria assets. All connections between connected devices are secured with enterprise grade AES encryption, and all user and API connections use TLS encryption.