The term “command and control” (C2) may rightly evoke images of a tech-laden intelligence or military operation center – perhaps including something like the fictional secure planning and monitoring station depicted in Zero Dark Thirty (2012). However, the specialized hardware and software of a C2 installation can enhance the efficiency of any organization that must disseminate time-sensitive information among a working group or allows even a single person to manage a complex task effectively.
Zero Dark Thirty (2012) – Image credit: IMDB
Old School C2 – The Big Board
Data visualization is a cornerstone of any C2 operation. While the display technologies employed continue to evolve, some aspects of C2 facility design and usage have remained impressively persistent. In particular, personal displays for each participant and one or more larger screens convey an overview of operations or real-time status for the group. Historically, these large-format displays were exclusively projection-based – often rear-projection configurations that can mimic the appearance of a flat-screen display of arbitrary size.
Apollo Mission Control Room (restored) – Image credit: NASA Johnson
The historic Apollo Mission Control Room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center operated extensively during the 1960s and 1970s. It featured individual consoles with monochrome CRT monitors for each flight operations controller. These displayed role-critical data, including telemetry, vehicle status, and life support. At the front of the room, for all to see, were several large screens (dubbed “the big board”) driven by Eidophor rear projection systems.
Eidophor video projection systems in use during the Apollo 11 mission – Image credit: NASA
The cumbersome Eidophor projectors could display good-quality video imagery but required a small crew for installation and regular maintenance. The projector’s optical system comprised a bright light source, such as a xenon arc lamp, shining on a slowly rotating mirrored disk coated with a thin film of transparent high-viscosity oil – the disk’s rotation helped maintain a smooth and consistent oil film surface. A scanned electron beam controlled by the incoming video signal precisely stimulated portions of this oil-covered surface, creating electrostatic charges in the oil that caused tiny ripples that modulated the amount of light in each portion of the projected video picture. Until the 1980s, Eidophor projectors remained popular for big-screen video applications, including control rooms for television broadcasting and live entertainment productions.
Eidophor video projector – Image credit: Topquark2
The Digital Transition
Video projection technologies remain popular for large-format displays that serve as focal points in C2 facilities. However, these projection systems have transitioned mainly to digital pixel technologies, especially DLP and, to a lesser extent, LCoS and LCD-based devices. Modern commercial projectors can also deliver increased resolutions, providing ample visual detail at larger screen sizes. The INSIGHT LASER 8K projector from Digital Projection is an example of a high-resolution display device designed for 24/7 operation, flexible installation orientation, and good longevity from its exceptionally bright solid-state laser and phosphor light source.
Digital Projection INSIGHT LASER 8K (Gen II) projector – Image credit: Digital Projection
Although most supersized LCD monitors top out at 4K resolution, they remain a cost-effective alternative for large-format screens for a C2 environment, with some models approaching 120 inches. The upcoming Hisense 116UX 4K display provides a namesake 116-inch screen size and up to a claimed 10,000 nits of mini-LED driven light output, making it usable in nearly any ambient lighting environment.
2025 Hisense 116UX 4K TV – Image credit: Robert Heron
A Direct-View Future
For C2 facility configurations with ample budgets and a desire for ultimate display performance and longevity, modular direct-view LED (DVLED) displays are at the top of the list. DVLED displays are linked modules of RGB LED pixel arrays that scale to any size and allow for the creation of planar, angled, and curved screen surfaces. The modular nature of DVLED displays typically allows front or rear access to the screen components, simplifying any necessary repairs or adjustments. Some DVLED modules are rated for 100,000 hours of operation to half-brightness, offer ultra-high-speed refresh rates, and can deliver a wide gamut of color coverage with exceptional brightness and contrast.
TCL 163-inch direct-view LED (DVLED) display demo at CES 2025 – Image credit: Robert Heron
The recently christened NASCAR Production Facility in Concord, North Carolina, is another example of DVLED technology used to create a centerpiece display in a group working environment. Based on Samsung’s The Wall DVLED display system, the 32-foot by 9-foot installation will enable up to 24 on-site officials to monitor a variety of camera feeds and race data. Of course, Samsung’s partnership with NASCAR for this facility included more than 30 of the company’s high-resolution LCD monitors for individual workstations, including seven of the ultra-wide 49-inch Odyssey G9 monitors to provide officials even more personalized customization of video and data from multiple sources.
NASCAR Race Control featuring Samsung display technologies – Image credit: Samsung
C2 Improving Big City Navigation
Intelligent traffic centers in major cities use predictive analytics to coordinate thousands of cameras, traffic signals, and road sensors, improving transportation efficiency and providing automated alerts for critical events. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) developed a traffic control center in the early ’80s to help support its hosting of the 1984 Olympic Games. At the time, the facility managed 118 signals. In preparation for the 2028 Olympic Games, LADOT unveiled an updated control center in late 2022, the Advanced Transportation System and Coordination (ATSAC) Center. The upgraded facility now monitors and adjusts more than 4,900 traffic signals throughout the city and prioritizes buses, pedestrians, and rail. This system also incorporates data from over 26,000 sensors and 620 traffic monitoring cameras to improve Angelinos’ travel efficiency. LADOT claims the ATSAC facility has already decreased travel delays by 32%.
Advanced Transportation System and Coordination Center – Image credit: LADOT
The upgraded ATSAC Center features a large-scale DVLED display system at the head of the room. These video displays provide map overviews of critical intersections, camera feeds, signal information, and alerts. Each workstation has multiple LCD monitors for operators to customize their workflow. The ATSAC facility processes more than seven terabytes of real-time data daily, leveraging the power of open-source software and online code repositories to share data and tools more easily with other cities and transportation developers. Future ATSAC upgrades plan to bring enhanced data services to connected vehicles and, eventually, enable a fully automated public transit vehicle fleet.
Enhanced Efficiency for All
A giant organization like Amazon utilizes C2 technology for, among other things, fleet management and package delivery. These systems leverage predictive analytics that monitors real-time data points, including weather, traffic, customer availability, and related risks. A more personalized use of C2 could be a small group or single individual tasked with monitoring live camera feeds for security or entertainment purposes. A single workstation can provide an overview of events and allow the operator to directly control networked PTZ cameras, adjust recording parameters, and respond to alerts. At the heart of every C2 operation is enhanced efficiency that translates into improved results, cost savings, and quality of life.
Robert is a technologist with over 20 years of experience testing and evaluating consumer electronics devices, primarily focusing on commercial and home theater equipment.
Robert's expertise as an audio-visual professional derives from testing and reviewing hundreds of related products, managing a successful AV test lab, and maintaining continuous education and certifications through organizations such as CEDIA, the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF), and THX.
More recently, Robert has specialized in analyzing audio and video display systems, offering comprehensive feedback, and implementing corrective measures per industry standards. He aims to deliver an experience that reflects the artists' intent and provides coworkers and the public with clear, insightful product information.
- Robert Heronhttps://www.avnation.tv/author/robert-heron/
- Robert Heronhttps://www.avnation.tv/author/robert-heron/
- Robert Heronhttps://www.avnation.tv/author/robert-heron/
- Robert Heronhttps://www.avnation.tv/author/robert-heron/
