First-ever Comprehensive Guide to High Performance Operator Graphics

Best practices are fully captured in this must-read book, which incorporates over 100 man-years of experience by PAS and UCDS

Houston, TX – September 25, 2008 - PAS today announced the publication of its most recent book, The High Performance HMI Handbook, jointly authored by PAS and User Centered Design Services (UCDS). The handbook is the first and only comprehensive book to detail the need, the design, and the implementation of an optimal Human-Machine Interface (HMI) for process operators and the automation systems used to control complex process operations.

Poorly designed HMIs are common and have often been cited as contributing factors to major industrial accidents. The High Performance HMI Handbook aims to help mitigate these risks by providing the tools for assessment, justification and planning of a high performance HMI solution. Through the use of illustrations and examples, the book clearly explains how to justify investment in HMI improvements, the guidelines for developing a HMI philosophy, the methodology for HMI performance assessment, and the principles for creating high performance graphics.

“The control room HMI is a core element of an effective plant operations situational awareness strategy and key to safety and reliability,” according to Kevyn Renner, Senior Technology Consultant, Control & Information Systems, at Chevron Global Manufacturing. “The processing industries have been in need of a comprehensive body of knowledge that provides best practices for effective operator HMIs since the advent of Distributed Control Systems in the mid-1970’s, and this handbook now fills the gap.”

Throughout the book, the advantages and impact of a high performance HMI relative to the current HMI practices common at most process facilities is clearly shown, making it a must-read for all those involved with process operations and any aspect of operator-related safety and performance improvement at process plants worldwide.

Several years of collaboration between experts at PAS and UCDS precede the publication of the handbook, which is authored by Bill Hollifield (PAS Principal Alarm Management Consultant), Dana Oliver (PAS Principal HMI Consultant), Ian Nimmo (President of UCDS), and Eddie Habibi (Founder and CEO of PAS). Collectively, the four authors have over 100 man-years of experience with operator graphics and HMI practices, which is now shared with the industry in hopes of helping to improve process safety, reliability and profitability worldwide. v “In this book, we reveal a great deal of PAS and UCDS proprietary information on operator HMI and control room design best practices simply because, when it comes to safety, sharing of intellectual property is the right thing to do,” said Eddie Habibi, Founder and CEO of PAS.

This 200 page book, with more than 90 illustrations, is now available from PAS (email HMI@pas.com) and will also soon be available via other leading booksellers. All purchasers of the book will be provided with access to more information and further examples of a high performance HMI online on the PAS website.