A control room, operations center, or operations
control center (OCC) is a room serving as a central space where a
large physical facility or physically dispersed service can be monitored and
controlled.
A control room's purpose is production control, and serves as a central
space where a large physical facility or physically dispersed service can be
monitored and controlled. Central control rooms came into general use in
factories during the 1920s.
Control rooms for vital facilities are typically tightly secured and
inaccessible to the general public.
There are multiple electronic displays and control
panels (usually present) and there may also be a large wall-sized display
area visible from all locations within the space that need electricity to operate. Some control rooms are
themselves under continuous video surveillance and recording, for security and
personnel accountability purposes. Many control rooms are manned on a "24/7/365"
basis, and may have multiple people on duty at all times (such as
implementation of a "two-man rule"), to ensure continuous vigilance.
