به سوی سیستم های جدید نظارتی مبتنی بر خدمات وب در سازمان های صنعتی: اصول اساسی و مطالعه موردی

Mobility, cooperation and the information access of the different human actors within a complex industrial organization are some of the concerns of web-based HMI design. In this paper we highlight the application of some key concepts of web services for the specification and design of a complex supervisory web-based HMI. Hence, a novel approach based on a service oriented architecture and web services allowing flexible and transparent interaction between the field devices and human operators currently being considered is now possible. An overall design framework is presented and discussed. A real representative case study illustrating this approach is described and discussed from the human–machine interaction point of view, as well as further work.

Industrial supervisory systems are extremely demanding as regards the human–machine interface to be provided for the various actors or stakeholders involved. The relevant supervised data can be acquired from different sources and structures within the dynamic and evolving organization context as well. The current trend in industry is to integrate process supervision systems, qualified as traditional, along with new inherent functions to the underlying global information system of the organization. Thus, integrating people, process(es) and information, it can be accessed from outside the control room using web technologies [1]. This enables, for instance, members of an organization, such as operators on call, to work from remote locations, or commercial staff to send orders remotely or check the warehouse status. Moreover, this may also concern technicians in charge of the maintenance of several geographically separated IT infrastructures or installations. Consequently, the information visualisation requires adaptations due not only to the diversity of the access devices used but also to the pertinence of the data provided on such devices [2]. So how would it be possible to provide the various human actors with rapid and efficient access, which is adequate and adapted to the various tasks they perform? We believe that the service oriented architecture (SOA) model and its underlying web service technology offer a promising approach for the creation of new human actors’ interaction models within a complex organization. Indeed, every human actor within that complex organization, whatever his/her hierarchical level or work location (inside or outside the organization), may have different needs from the underlying interactive systems. Moreover, the evolution of the global information system federating the different interoperable, integrated and heterogeneous business processes of the complex organization may also lead to newer interaction possibilities.

The application area of the case study can be considered as being new for the HMI design issues raised, and more complex than traditional supervision with classical HMIs. Therefore, this case study clearly shows how complex web-based service HMI design issues may be approached. This has been done according to the main phases of the proposed framework through predominant analysis. Throughout the case study, we have highlighted that the traditional industrial supervisory systems have many requirements as regards human–machine interfaces. It is possible to extend their basic functionalities such as moving towards a wider and more global supervision due to the availability of new technological means provided. This opens the way for new needs and scenarios, and thus new functionalities, especially those relating to operator mobility and cooperative tasks. Consequently, the case study has also shown that our research contribution intended to tackle newly related HMI design issues by investigating and studying complementary aspects of the classic supervisory HMI. We have proposed a global service oriented supervisory HMI design framework. The proposal has focussed mainly on the first stages of a user centred interactive system design cycle following the main principles of a unified process. The paper has considered specifically the mobility and cooperative task dedicated supervisory web service design and mock-ups. The service oriented architecture (SOA) is an approach for software design which breaks everything down into agile services dealing with one specific need. Unlike the traditional development of interactive applications, in this approach the business processes, the presentation of information and content (page-screens), and the applicative logic and data are separated into distinct interfaced layers of services. In a traditional HMI development project, the HMI designers often consider the design of the various HMI of the underlying applications separately. On the other hand, in an oriented approach, the designers only concentrate once on the HMI for all of the applications involved. The main benefits of the approach consist in reducing the development costs and complexity as well as the fact that it enables complex organizations to make their business processes and business logic seamlessly accessible via some relevant web technologies.