ABSTRACT
An automatic device is able to operate independently of human control, and automation refers to the replacement of human manual control, planning, and problem solving with automatic devices and computers (Bainbridge, 1982). BS/EN/ISO 11064-1:2001 recognizes that “driven by demands for safer, more reliable and efficient operations, innovations in information technology have led to the increased use of automation and centralized supervisory control” in control room environments. Automation is a powerful trend that is typically driven by the availability and performance of technical innovations. Despite this trend, it can be noted that “even highly automated systems … need human beings for supervision, adjustment, maintenance, expansion, and improvement” (Bibby, Margulies, Rijnsdorp, and Withers, 1975). In fact, even today’s most advanced Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems still rely on humans; moreover, the best examples harness the unique capabilities of both. The process of automation and the tenor of the relevant standards are very much oriented around this idea of joint human and technical optimization.
