Interfaces Usability for Monitoring Systems

The objective of this article is to discuss the usability and suitability of having graphical visualization tools for decision support in Space monitoring systems. Operators dealing with specific Space missions are burdened with continuous real-time telemetry data about components’ behavior and they have to take quick actions when some malfunction occurs. To have a decision support tool for monitoring what is happening is essential for ensuring the mission success. In this work, for discussing interface usability concerns for decision support, we use a real case study, called MODI-Monitoring and Diagnosis for Mars Driller project (MODI, 2006), which was financed by the European Space Agency (ESA). The MODI objectives were the development of a fuzzy alarm fault detection system as well as a fuzzy terrain-hardness detection system, for the drill device included in the ExoMars rover (ExoMars, 2007). Although a number of positive results have been achieved using different knowledge-based technologies for monitoring, diagnosis and control, for instance inference systems, expert systems, data mining, fuzzy logic, and so forth (Isermann, 1998; Ross, 2004), only recently attention on the usability and suitability of graphical visualization interfaces, acting as a decision support tool, is starting to be considered a relevant issue in software applications (Nunes, in press).