Proactive monitoring involves, in part, the effective use of time-based information such as Trends. In the oil and chemical industries, the benefits of a proactive approach include less down-time, fewer alarm-flooding stresses, and maximized product output. This report aims to describe the effective use of trend displays by examining how expert Distributed Control System (DCS) operators monitored and visualized trends proactively. We found two preferences for trend display layouts, suggesting a lack of design guidelines and understanding towards optimum trend usage performance in the industry. The decision process in proactive monitoring is discussed, along with the attributes that define an expert trends user.
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