SwRI: Control Center Technologies: For more than 20 years, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has been developing software for control center applications.

	SwRI staff have worked on upgrades in the GPS Satellite control center. Image courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense.
	SwRI staff have developed software process control functions for a wide variety of plant operations.

Integrating operations and processes to provide centralized control

For more than 20 years, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has been developing software for control center applications. SwRI's extensive experience includes:

• Process control industry

• Manufacturing industry

• Manned and unmanned space applications

• Transportation applications

This cross-cutting experience allows SwRI staff to apply the lessons learned in one application domain to similar applications in other domains. SwRI staff are able to perform the following phases of development for control centers:

• Requirements

• Design

• Development

• Integration and Testing

• Deployment

• Independent Verification and Validation

In addition to integrating devices within a single facility, SwRI has developed standards-based, center-to-center communications capabilities to provide a regional view of multiple centers. Project experience includes:

• Lubricant production facilities

  	SwRI staff have developed command/control software for pipeline and lubricant production facilities.
  	SwRI staff have assisted NASA with the upgrade from mainframe technology to distributed workstation technology. Image courtesy of NASA.
  	SwRI staff have developed transportation management software that is deployed across the states of Texas and Florida.

• Oil refineries

• Automotive manufacturing

• NASA control centers

• Transportation control centers

• Air Force GPS control center

The ownership of software developed by SwRI for these centers typically remains the property of the organization that paid for the development. This allows the owning organization to deploy the software as many times as desired without paying any type of licensing fees. SwRI-developed software is deployed in the following centers:

• Texas Transportation Management Centers:

  • Austin

  • Dallas

  • Fort Worth

  • Houston

  • San Antonio

  • Lubbock

  • Amarillo

  • Corpus Christi

• Florida Transportation Management Centers:

  • Fort Lauderdale

  • Fort Myers

  • Jacksonville

  • Miami

  • Orlando

  • Tallahassee

  • Tampa

• Toll Facilities:

  • Miami Dade Expressway

  • Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority

For more information about control center technologies capabilities at SwRI or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact Steve Dellenback, Ph.D., PMP, at sdellenback@swri.org or (210) 522-3914.