During the design phase of your operations center project, the team at Constant will conduct a thorough needs analysis to determine the best course forward in your command center build. Here’s a preview of what you can expect to go over as you begin the planning phase of your project:
1. The Basics
As a first step, consider the answer to basic questions about your facility and the planned installation. At a fundamental level, it is important to keep in mind the planned function of the facility and the reason it is being built. Another aspect to consider is whether this is a “one-time” installation or whether there might be future growth that needs to be planned for.
2. Driving Factors
Many of the decisions in a command center installation are driven by a combination of three things: functional performance, cost, and “wow” factor. For your space, what is the balance between these three factors, and are there others that should also be considered?
3. Images to be Displayed
The technology we choose for your space is highly dependent on what you plan to do with it. An important part of the planning phase includes discussing your technology needs, especially when it comes to the command center video wall. The decision to install an LCD video wall or LED video wall is based on many factors including your budget and your planned application for the video wall system. Our needs analysis will address what programs and applications will be viewed on the video wall installation. Questions to consider include whether the display will have text or graphics, and whether viewers will need to be able to read text on the screen or just recognize graphics such as color changes.
4. Video Wall Placement
A number of factors go into planning your video wall placement. Based on the distance and locations of the viewers, Constant will conduct sight line analysis for optimal ergonomic placement when determining distance between operations center consoles and video wall placement. In addition, to come up with the best video wall design for your space and needs the Constant team will ask if the video wall installation must to be placed on a particular wall and if there are sizing requirements.
5. Display Sources
A number of sourcing questions will be asked to ensure that your needs are met by our technical engineers. In order to properly plan for your sourcing, we need to know how many sources (and what kind) will be displayed on the video wall as well as locally at each command center console. These sources might include laptops, computers/PCs, network feeds, Blu-Ray videos, TV programs (cable or satellite), CCTV feeds (either multiplexed or full size), and video teleconferencing.
6. Switching/Routing
Another important aspect of our technical engineering includes the planned switching and routing of your sources. To determine the best technical setup, the Constant team will ask which images will be shown on which screens, if there are other locations where sources might exist, and also if other locations might benefit from being able to view the same inputs/sources.
7. Video Wall Processing
In order to create the best video wall installation for your mission critical operations center, we will ask a number of questions about the processing requirements you plan for your video wall system. For example, would it be beneficial to have multiple images on a single video wall panel? Is there a possibility that operators would benefit from having a single image stretched across multiple screens? We will also inquire about the current network operating system at the facility.
8. Audio
As audiovisual integrators, Constant concerns itself not only with the video wall design but also the needs of your operators for audio applications. To determine the best AV setup for your space we will ask about what personnel will need to hear and whether audio will be primarily for the entire room or directed toward individuals. The importance of audio quality and whether audio conferencing is required will also be addressed.
9. Control
An important aspect of video wall installation is creating a control system that is user friendly for operators. The Constant team customizes your control programming so that it perfectly suits your operations. During the needs analysis we will ask for details such as whether you would prefer touch panel or web-based control and whether, in addition to the equipment and other pre-sets, other facility elements such as lights or shades should be added to the control.
10. Facilities Planning
Many important questions necessary for Constant’s needs analysis involve facilities planning. These questions range from time frame for completion and room dimensions to questions about possible obstructions, potential rack locations, and power distribution.
The questions mentioned here are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to control room design. Constant conducts an in-depth needs analysis for every project to guarantee that the completed project satisfies your every need and want.
To begin planning your operations center project, contact us today.
About Constant:
Constant Technologies, Inc. is a premier mission critical audiovisual integrator providing customized AV systems integration of 24/7 command center video walls and operations center furniture worldwide. With over three decades of experience, Constant’s team has the knowledge and clearance to work with sensitive environments in the public and private sectors and has experience creating custom, turnkey solutions all over the world. As experts in control room design, Constant designs, installs and services projects of all scopes and sizes to create solutions with the highest levels of security, aesthetics and functionality in mind. Some of Constant’s installations have included Social Media Command Centers, Network Operations Centers, EOC builds, Fleet Operations Centers, Fusion Centers, Command Centers, Security Operations Centers,and other command and control environments.
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September 6, 2018
