Multiple Views of an Industrial Plant are graphically displayed and
viewed. A graphical user interface displays the views in corresponding
panes or windows of the graphical user interface. The views, being
graphical representations of systems of the Industrial Plant, are coupled
by a coupler according to a predetermined relationship between the
underlying systems of the Industrial Plant represented by the coupled
views. The coupler automatically refocuses the panes to display different
views of the Industrial Plant based on a selection of an object in any of
the panes or on a manual refocus of one view and on the predetermined
relationship for coupling the views. The Coupled views represent
different domains of the Industrial Plant or Industrial Network e.g.
real-time monitoring and operation, configuration, debugging,
maintenance, scheduling, asset management, documentation, training,
simulation, physical construction, material flow monitoring, programming,
interconnecting function blocks, performance analysis. The analysis may
be provided at different points in time (now, past, predicted future) and
with a different spatial focus (parts, whole). Coupling different views
greatly reduces handling effort for building and operating Industrial
Plants.