It is especially important to draw up a plan correctly when building a command center or a control room.
Before starting to implement a project, we need to draw up a phased plan, according to which a project will be implemented and put into operation. It is especially important to draw up a plan correctly during the construction of a command centre or a control room. The safety of the company (and sometimes the lives of people) depends on these facilities. Therefore, before building a control room we need to discuss and understand the following:
• What is a control room?
• Types of command centers or control rooms.
• What type of management and control is needed for your company.
• How many command and control centers need to be created.
• Where does the construction start?
• How and with what to equip the dispatch center where all information will be received.
• Which company to entrust the design of the control room.
• Maintenance and establishment of a backup command center.
Only after answering all these questions we can start designing and building a command and control center for an organization.
What is a control room?
It is a command and control center – a secure facility on site that provides centralized monitoring, control and management of the situation. In the control room, technicians, managers and operators manage day-to-day operations and support and enforce crisis operations for a given organization. Whether it is a control room for a police station, oil refinery or other organization, the control room is the place where information is received and processed. It is where the communication takes place through the dispatch services, so it should be available 24/7/365.
Types of command centers or control rooms
Control rooms are of different types and each has different needs. Each industry has its own command centers, and they look and fit differently. Therefore, control points are distinguished by the type of organization:
- military;
• police;
• centers for emergency operations;
• centers for disease control;
• corporate;
• transport;
• energy and utilities;
• industrial.
Military
All units of armed forces use strategic command and control in their operations, therefore their command centers must be equipped with modern equipment, such as control room furniture, control desks, control room consoles, and control room chairs. The Department of Homeland Security also needs facilities and equipment that meet regulatory quality and safety standards.
Police
Police stations especially need monitors for surveillance. But the control room furniture in the police station also plays a significant role in the interior and allows employees to move around easily. You can choose control room consoles on the website of control room furniture RDM, which has vast experience in the design and implementation of control rooms.
Centres for Emergency Operations
State and local governments use command and control centers to coordinate their response to events such as hurricanes, floods, wildfires, terrorism, and so on. The type of command and control center these organizations require may vary depending on the size and population of the covered areas. A city or regional government covering densely populated areas or vital resources may require a large modern building, while a small city or region may require a simple room to operate smoothly. But in any case, regardless of the size of the building you will need modern furniture for the control room that meets regulatory standards and requirements, which needs to be taken into account when designing a building.
Centers for Disease Control
Public health also needs centers for disease control. A strategic command and control center for management and response is required to prevent outbreaks of infections that occur in the country.
Corporate
Corporations often create three different command centers: one for IT, one for marketing and one for security. Rarely all of them operate from one place.
Transport
Airlines, buses, trams, trains and other public transportation organizations use control rooms to increase operational efficiency and minimize the risk of hazards by improving fast communication between different branches. These centers can improve security and save money by centralizing communication operations distributed throughout the infrastructure.
Energy and Utilities
Oil, gas and energy companies need command and control centers from which they can monitor their resources, maintain safe operating conditions and respond to emergencies.
Industrial
Plants and factories need control rooms to monitor production processes.
To determine the right command and control center for your company start by identifying what resources you need to coordinate. Once you have decided on the amount of information and the flow of people, think about which pieces of information you need to track, such as cameras, data, TV shows, radio communications, phone calls, city maps or power grids. This second step allows you to determine with what technology and equipment the command center needs to be fully equipped. To do this, it is necessary to understand what will be monitored and coordinated.
If there are any difficulties, then it is better to entrust the design of the control room consoles to the Group of Companies Technosphere LLC, which has a lot of experience in this area and is a reliable manufacturer of control room consoles and technical furniture for command and control centers.
