Today let’s take a step back from the technology of video walls and talk about the methodology behind “why”. If you’re researching, designing, or championing an operations center solution, it’s important to understand the larger narrative behind this type of technology.
To go beyond the eye candy that makes up the screens for any video wall, think in terms of the “common operating picture”. The dashboard for your operations center and visual reference in high-speed decision-making. Close your eyes and picture the dashboard cluster in your car for a moment. You have gauges for fuel, speed, RPM, battery life, engine heat, local time, and mileage… to say the least. Each dial tells us something different by measuring data within our car. Your speedometer has some meaning, but way more when we look at our RPMs. Doing 50 mph down the road at 2000 RPMs versus 8000 RPMs are very different experiences, and likely dependent on how late we are for a meeting according to our clock! Throw on a low fuel light and you’ve got a decision to make using this visual data. Do you pull off for fuel or gun it for that 2 o’clock?
Visual data is like the gauges in our car. Each operates in the silo of a specific task for collecting information. When viewed collectively, they become part of the dashboard for making real-time decisions. In Public Safety we might be monitoring live weather, national news, local news, and highway traffic cameras across the common operating picture to make real-time decisions on where to place assets in the field.
“OK, so I need to get all my visual data up on the video wall simultaneously to make faster decisions, right?” Yes and no. It’s about having the “right” data. More isn’t better. In a non-video wall environment running from PC to PC slows down decision-making but having too much data can equally stagnate the decision-making process. How do we find a happy balance of the “right” data and discerning “what” is happening during an event? We need filter control over the video wall to match our workflow. Control systems like CineNet offer the ability to arrange data infinitely to match your operation. This allows pertinent information to be at the forefront of the decision-making process, providing the best dashboard possible.
Remember, the data you have at the ready is only as valuable as your ability to manage and digest it allows it to be. Sharp and intuitive, yet also easy to learn, software such as CineNet helps you get maximum efficiency out of the seemingly endless amount of sources on your video wall.