When talking about the future of control centers, one thinks of a high-tech environment, with sophisticated technical furniture as well as ultra-ergonomic and automated furniture, with a lot of audiovisual equipment in dynamic and flexible environments, which facilitate collaborative work where decisions can be taken in real time 24/7 and relationships and spaces are humanized.
But, what if it was already a reality and you could implement it in your control room?
Since the first air control center was installed in the 1930s, the technical, digital and ergonomic evolution that these facilities have undergone has been unstoppable. The technology used in the control rooms at that time was already considered state-of-the-art, since the systems they had to control and manage were critical, but seen with eyes of todqay, progress can be seen.
The nerve center and maximum value of the control room in its beginnings was the use of computers, where physical equipment was essential and everything was based on them; therefore, the consoles had to house those computers, their monitors, keyboards and all kinds of peripherals. In the next generation of control centers, they began to be valued for their architecture, that is, for enhancing the environment, where design is a fundamental element: technical walls and floors, adequate lighting, optimal air conditioning systems to facilitate management of the 24/7 activity of the operators, technical furniture, computer equipment and large format visualization systems (videowalls) or with great prominence, and all of this adapted to the needs of the activity carried out. Today, some follow this pattern, but the trend that is developing is one of radical and overwhelming change.
Nowadays the processes, and especially the people who carry them out, take on a special importance compared to the rest of the elements, becoming the fundamental nucleus of the new control centers and empowering them in their responsibilities, efficiency and success in a more technological environment than ever, but with less complexity, facilitating workflow and creating a collaborative work philosophy. Traditional monitoring and KVM systems have evolved giving rise to more powerful, reliable and complete systems that allow the control of multiple equipment, different sources of information and a multitude of new variables, achieving maximum efficiency of the control center by converting the most complex systems and the large amount of information that operators manage every day in a harmonious and simple task.
The experience of more than 30 years of the GESAB group in Control Centers, an area in which we have invested and dedicated all our efforts, knowledge and investments in I+D with the clear objective of helping the sector and leading the market, it has allowed us to offer the “world” the latest technologies. Among them, such as the DESKWALL system, a dynamic management system for operator stations, natively integration with DATAWALL controllers for videowalls, collaborative areas, etc. and the cornerstone for all sectors that allows the integration of home automation, IoT, alerts or alarms, security and any type of action that needs a reaction thanks to the universal APITOOL Manager system.
The evolution towards Digital Control Rooms inevitably includes people, placing them at the center of the project. At this point is where traditional ergonomics is transformed into Digital Ergonomics, thus ensuring not only the comfort of the operator at a physical level thanks to the new generations of Smart Console in which the console adjusts and adapts to the needs of people according to their percentile, but also, and more important if possible, the Operational Ergonomics (Visual and Motion Ergonomics) thanks to the DESKWALL management system that allows any type of information to be located in the most appropriate position within the control screens at all times, in a simple, dynamic and personalized way and all this with a single keyboard and mouse.
Last but not least, the new generation of control rooms will pamper and take care of the people who make them up. The Digital Control Rooms will focus on all aspects such as the environment, design, quality, technology, ergonomics; as well as in one of the most important, such as the health of people in all areas: VISUAL HEALTH, PHYSICAL HEALTH and EMOTIONAL HEALTH. GESAB has worked with specialists in the field and after years of research, has developed within the GESAB HEALTH project the WORKPLACE ERGONOMICS guide (a guide to improve PEOPLE’S HEALTH) as well as the GESAB HEALTH digital application that is delivered included in the system DESKWALL dynamic KVM, all to get PEOPLE ALWAYS IN THE CENTER.