ProcSee

Overview

ProcSee® is a versatile software tool to develop and display dynamic graphical user interfaces. It is a mature, high-quality software product, designed and optimized for large-scale simulators and process monitoring and control applications.

ProcSee supports object-oriented definitions of dynamic user interfaces, enabling visualisation of process measurements and states as their values change over time. With unique flexibility and performance, ProcSee is particularly attractive to suppliers of SCADA systems or simulators who can establish generic HMI solutions for easy adaption and configuration to their customers’ needs.

Application Areas

ProcSee has been used for simulators and 24/7/365 process monitoring and control applications in various industries, including nuclear power plants; oil production platforms; electric power production and distribution; telecommunication networks; ship bridge systems; ship engine systems; paper mills; and environmental monitoring systems. Applications have been subject to extensive verification and validation testing to obtain licence for use in nuclear power plant control rooms.

ProcSee-based HMIs have been deployed for screen sizes ranging from small handheld devices, via conventional desktop screens to large wall-mounted overview screens. Now, HMIs can also be presented over web, greatly simplifying deployment of remote monitoring and control applications.

Main Modules

Graphics Editor
An advanced editor is used to define graphics, with dynamic behaviour and powerful event-action dialogues. Any object attribute can be linked to process parameter values, directly or by user-defined functions. A full-featured scripting language provides great flexibility in defining the HMI’s dynamic behaviour and response to operator interaction. The class concept enables developers to define their own complex objects, ensure consistency, and enable re-use across applications.

Dynamic behaviour can be tested immediately in the editor, and the editor can be connected to a running application at any time for online inspection, debugging and modification.

Run-Time Manager (RTM)
The RTM is a ready-to-use executable that realises the HMI on the operator’s screen. It automatically updates the HMI according to the specified behaviour whenever new process values are received. Pushes updates over web for remote operators.

For maximum performance, the RTM uses highly optimized algorithms to update the graphics, ensuring that only a minimum set of graphics objects are redrawn each cycle. Layers, overlapping objects, and see-through graphics are handled automatically. Double-buffering techniques ensure flicker-free updates.

Operator interaction is handled by the RTM according to the designer’s event-action dialogue specifications. Transferring values or commands to a simulator or SCADA system enables the operator to control the process.

OPC Client and APIs
Using ProcSee’s OPC client, no programming is required to connect live data from your simulator, SCADA system or real-time databases to the RTM. Simply browse your OPC server for items and associate the corresponding variables in the RTM.

High-level APIs (C/C++, C#, Java) provide functions for external programs to connect to the RTM, transfer variable values, create and modify graphics, call pre-defined or user-defined HMI functions and register call-back functions to be invoked from the HMI.

Historic Trend System
A highly configurable trend-system for logging data and visualizing historic trend curves is included. User-defined events with corresponding user-defined data can be logged and visualized as dynamic graphics objects within the trend diagrams.

Key Features

Build your own fully configurable graphics components with dynamic behaviour and end-user interaction. Store in libraries for easy re-use across projects

All object attributes can be linked to process data values, directly or through arbitrarily complex user-defined functions

Graphics and functions can be created, modified and deleted programmatically, even at run-time

HMIs can be saved in text format, enabling offline editing and auto-generation of HMIs

Free translation, rotation and scaling of objects. Pictures can scale automatically to fit windows and screens. Zoom and pan as you like

Gradients and anti-aliasing available to provide nice-looking, smooth graphics

Layers provide full control of front-to-back order of nearby and partly overlapping objects

Import third-party COM/ActiveX components

Import static images of any major graphics format. Put dynamic graphics on top

Print or export snapshots to popular formats

Use any font on your computer. Character sets like Japanese, Korean and Chinese supported

Integrated colour editor. Transparent and flashing colours supported

Trend features include various presentation modes, multi-colour curves, grid, ruler, labels, auto/manual panning, auto/manual scaling, linear/logarithmic scale, user-defined events, and much more

Simulator applications fully control time. Functions to store and load initial conditions for trend curves included

Supports user-defined data types (structs and arrays). Variable and data type definitions can be edited offline in your favourite text editor

Designed and optimised for large-scale applications and frequent display updates

Platform independent HMIs with options to present on screen or over web. APIs transparently handle cross-platform data communication

Runs on Microsoft Windows, Linux, and HP-UX

On-line user manuals. First-steps tutorial

Certified quality system, ISO 9001:2015

Download

ProcSee is a commercial product from IFE. It is available at no additional costs to member organisations of the OECD NEA Halden HTO Project.

A 30-days evaluation version is available, with features identical to the full version (Microsoft Windows only).

Contact procsee-support@ife.no to get download information. Please provide your full name, email address and organisation.

Help and Support

Troubleshooting

How to solve potential installation and start-up problems: ProcSeeTroubleShooting

List of issues

Issues related to the most recent ProcSee version: ProcSee Issue List

Support

For general questions, technical support, bug reports or requests for new functionality, please contact procsee-support@ife.no.