Control rooms play a vital role as centralized points to monitor and manage mission-critical applications, such as coordinating hazard responses, delivering global video, managing security, and more. To efficiently manage such complex applications, team members require simultaneous access to different types of content, ranging from maps and traffic reports to real-time video feeds.
To address this challenge, an increasing number of organizations are replacing outdated video screens in their control rooms with unified video walls that integrate seamlessly with workstations throughout the room. These modern video display solutions streamline the team's objective of disseminating information, centralizing planning, organizing responses, and deploying assistance where needed.
As a result, control teams can now share information more freely, quickly reach insights, and respond to complex, dynamic situations by adapting in real-time. This paper provides a summary of the benefits of video wall displays in command and control centers, along with crucial considerations in selecting equipment for these display systems.
By leveraging the advantages of video wall displays in control rooms, organizations can enhance their operational efficiency, reduce response times, and ensure effective decision-making. The ability to quickly access and analyze information can make all the difference in high-pressure situations, and video walls provide the necessary tools for control teams to manage such scenarios effectively.
Modern command center technology results in substantial efficiency gains
With the rise of television, separate displays and computer terminals were considered the pinnacle of response coordinating technology, leading to the creation of the outdated concept of a command center. However, the process of displaying visual content on a specific screen or set of displays was cumbersome and controlled by complex control panels, causing delays and obstructing access to information that other team members required.
In contrast, modern control rooms now feature high-resolution digital panels that can display a variety of media types, including maps, pictures, and video streams. Ergonomic desk options have replaced separate desks, and user-friendly touchscreens have taken the place of bulky control panels. Teams can now easily surface, resize, move, and adjust content across all screens while collaborating in real-time across individual workstations. Specialized operators can monitor their own information feeds and quickly present relevant data on the wall display as needed.
The size and flexibility of video walls significantly enhance a team's capacity to monitor and analyze information from multiple sources, which is critical in situations that require quick and flexible reactions. Interoperability across all workstations enables information to be distributed to any collaborator, whether they are present in the room or working remotely. This approach keeps information centrally located and better structured for the entire team. Additionally, digital signage simplifies failover by ensuring that backup equipment replaces the primary system promptly in case of a failure.
In summary, modern control rooms have undergone significant changes that make information more accessible, better structured, and more easily shared among team members.
Digital video screens are very adaptable and provide simple expansion when necessary
As technology advances, control rooms must keep up with changing demands. However, updating and expanding the components of a control room can be a daunting task. Fortunately, NEC displays come with Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) slots, allowing for easy maintenance and upgrades. By adding expansion chassis or plug-in modules, operators can expand their video walls and increase available digital space. These additions can be integrated into the current system quickly with just a few software tweaks. The NEC OPS is compatible with popular programs such as Windows Pro, HDBase T, and HD-SDI, making it a versatile and reliable option for any control room.
Video walls offer future-proof flexibility, allowing for adjustments and expansions as the complexity of information and video resolution continues to increase. Operators can easily control video output via simple graphical interfaces, leaving the backend complexities to the program. By processing and responding to a larger volume of information in a shorter amount of time, cutting-edge response organizations can provide swift and accurate responses that meet the constantly rising demands of their communities and customers.
