A web services based system for the distribution of live information in fusion experiments

In this paper we describe LiveMonitor, an integrated system realized for the distribution of information in fusion environments. The software tool is based on a client–server approach, where the server side consists of a set of Web Services that collect data from a variety of data sources. LiveMonitor has been successfully used at FTU, replacing and enhancing part of the core of the current message broadcasting system. The tool integrates all the information needed by the control room personnel during the experiments, namely the shot sequence status coming from the FTU Control System, videos of the plasma discharge from the FTU ports cameras, and fresh data from the databases. From the hardware point of view, the new system is made of a Linux node running the Web Services, while clients running on other machines can display information on large (46′′) LCD monitors. The tool has been tested during FTU experiments and can be further expanded to match the needs of the control room personnel and experimental physicists.