Managing complexity: Towards intelligent error-handling assistance trough interactive alarm flood reduction

Abstract

The current trend of integrating machines and factories into cyber-physical systems (CPS) creates an enormous complexity for operators of such systems. Especially the search for the root cause of cascading failures becomes highly time-consuming. Within this paper, we address the question on how to help human users to better and faster understand root causes of such situations. We propose a concept of interactive alarm flood reduction and present the implementation of a first vertical prototype for such a system. We consider this prototype as a first artifact to be discussed by the research community and aim towards an incremental further development of the system in order to support humans in complex error situations.