One of the most eagerly anticipated events at Emerson’s 2024 Ovation Users Group conference was a sneak peek into the new features and functionality coming in Ovation 4.0, and attendees were not disappointed. Emerson’s Kimberly Costlow shared a glimpse into the new capabilities just over the horizon.
A new view
One of the most exciting changes in Ovation 4.0 will be the new Ovation View human machine interface (HMI). The Ovation View HMI will offer users a more intuitive, flexible way to configure their controls with easily configurable shape attributes and an extensive library of widgets. The software will also support remote viewing of graphics in a web browser, to untether operators from the control room.
“This is a modern view to the new graphics package. It’s easy to configure with extensive libraries, and we are continuing to support our older graphics alongside these new graphics for smoother transition.”
New record types and object builder
The addition of new record types including 64-bit double precision will help users more easily take advantage of modern technologies like advanced process control.
Ovation 4.0 also features a new object builder—a hierarchical way to navigate Ovation control sheets, points, and graphics. Users will still use the same engineering tools, but in Ovation 4.0, they will use an explorer-style navigation tool.
Familiar tools, improved
Many of Ovation’s most critical features have also been improved to provide an enhanced user experience and increased security. For example, the updated System Registration Utility (SRU) provides the same robust data collection and inventory capabilities it always has, but has been expanded to support PWCS and Ovation Green as well as enhanced capabilities with Emerson’s Guardian digital experience. The updated SRU uses the Data Hub REST API to gather information about the Ovation system it runs on, and, via a read-only web server, securely makes Ovation data accessible to Ovation applications, customer-created programs, and authorized third-party products.
Developer studio has also been updated to support vertical tabs for easier navigation.
“A big benefit of this is for the alarms, now allowing the user to select what they want to configure when they want to configure it.”
Expanded search capabilities
One top user-requested function was a more user-friendly search feature. Now, users can not only create and save custom search criteria, but they can also edit existing saves, making it easier to maintain a repository of custom searches.
The toolbar find box has also been improved with automatic selection of the first option after a search, and the ability to either open results, or see where they are used.
Whether large or small, the many improvements to Ovation 4.0 are a direct result of user feedback, much of which has been shared across the years at Ovation Users’ Group events. If you couldn’t be with us in Pittsburgh this year, consider joining us in the future to participate in the week of intense collaboration.
