The design of a multimedia adaptive interface for process control using a multi-agent approach

This thesis develops an approach to improving the representation, form and timeliness of data in a complex process control interface. In traditional interfaces, a mapping is made at design time between the process parameters and an appropriate rendering at the interface. This mapping is usually the best all-purpose mapping under a set of general constraints. It is not, however, the only mapping—others may have been discarded which might have represented a better mapping under a different set of constraints. In the general case of the system functioning under normal conditions, the general mapping may be appropriate in most instances. However, if the process moves into a disturbed state, one of the other discarded mappings may be more appropriate for the new conditions. The goal of this thesis is to investigate if these other mappings can be implemented in a flexible mapping system, so that an adaptive system can make a decision on which mapping to use at run-time, based on the current state of process, the environment, the actions of the operator team, and access to a human factors database. [Continues.]