General Electric: Remote Operations Command Center from GE Digital Provides 360 View of Power Generation and Oil & Gas Assets and Controls Not Chained to Location

GE Digital today announced a new solution for the Power Generation and Oil & Gas (Cogen) industries. Remote Operations Command Center delivers the flexibility to operate centrally using shared resources across the fleet or implement a distributed command center to leverage expert teams and infrastructure at geographically dispersed plants. By improving productivity and collaboration across all levels of the organization, the new solution allows teams to gain immediate access to operate, analyze, and perform tasks from anywhere any time.

Command Center enables digitized process and operational technology tools without the demands on IT staffs. The solution enhances accessibility across roles and locations, providing critical real-time IIoT data to improve response and task completion time. Through the connected interface, operators perform multiple tasks including data collection and analysis, transactions, asset monitoring and control from anywhere on any device.

Command Center extends GE Digital’s Remote Operations, a packaged software and appliance solution that provides remote/mobile operator access to essential on-site HMI monitoring and control functions. A unique secure network system, hard-token credentials, and granular access controls ensure that remote, mobile, and on-site operators can work independently or together in a secure and NERC-CIP-compliant environment.

The solution includes GE Digital’s breakthrough modern, NO-CODING, centralized visualization environment for rapidly building industrial applications, Proficy Operations Hub. Using a comprehensive native library of widgets, operators receive responsive visualization preserving HMI experience. Defined data sources and entities connect devices and create queries into actionable information for operators – saving costs by reducing third-party development.

“Power Generation and Oil & Gas executives have always been frustrated at having engineers and other support staff desk-bound at critical times,” said Kevin Prouty, IDC Group Vice President of Energy and Manufacturing Insights. “It generates a lot of wasted opportunities having that staff out of position for critical decisions. By arming teams with secure consolidated enterprise data in actionable ways centrally and down to the equipment, they are unchained from their desks – your engineers and operators can connect and access what they need anytime and anywhere as remote experts.”

With flexibility to address cloud and premise ecosystems, Command Center uses open standards to reduce installation, deployment, and maintenance without compromising capabilities — fast, automatic response using IIoT data to trigger actions for teams, devices, or systems data. Integration with lone worker monitoring devices and applications is purposely built to implement safety measures on site.

“Remote Operations Command Center is the foundation for autonomous operations. Aggregating multiple data sources to provide a contextualized view of information at the fingertips of frontline workers, empowers them with actionable data at the site, on the equipment, or in the control room,” said Linda Rae, General Manager of GE Digital’s Power Generation and Oil & Gas business. “Empowering the modern industrial worker to manage critical assets, systems, and data from anywhere with the right information remotely transforms how industrial companies put data to work.”

Industrial operators around the world are adopting remote/mobile control procedures to ensure business continuity and optimal staffing flexibility and efficiency. Remote Operations Command Center is an important technology pillar, enabling contingency operations and digital worker capabilities, so energy companies can continue their drive towards intelligent and efficient operations at every level.