Proximity-based contextual mobility for SCADA

Now the company is providing an innovative mobile offering for SCADA in intelligent buildings: Proximity-based services enabled by micro-geolocation for Indoor Positioning Systems (IPS) are growing quickly.

This technology has made the practical deployment of contextual Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) possible, creating the opportunity for new, more efficient work processes for those who rely on Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Building Management Systems (BMS) to perform their job.

Remote access to supervisory systems has typically been accomplished by using internet browsers on laptops. With the increasing adoption of smart mobile devices, technology such as Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS) has been adopted as an alternative for mobile HMI.  

Navigating an HMI designed for a workstation while using a much smaller mobile device can prove difficult given the reduced screen size and mechanism for managing the mouse. A mobility infrastructure eliminates this problem via the presentation of information and controls in the context of role and place.

It provides a dynamic HMI that changes as the worker moves through workplace zones automatically adjusting for job responsibility. In a plant scenario, such a system is aware which floor a worker is on and automatically sends the status and controls of equipment in that worker´s proximity. It is a very pro-active approach that is recognised to improve the efficiency of commissioning, operation and maintenance of automation systems.

For safety, it is critical that the Mobility Server knows the current location of workers. With the ready availability of geolocation signals, IPS indoors and GPS outdoors, it is possible to track location by simply archiving the device´s position over time. Safety and dispatch tracking are natural functions of the Mobility Server which relies on position in order to create contextual HMI.

PcVue Solutions are reinventing mobility architectures with smart mobile devices using proximity services in innovative ways to benefit SCADA and Intelligent Building projects throughout the world.