(1) Distributed control systems (DCS) are digital control systems that connect field instruments like sensors to computers and human-machine interfaces. They are used in industrial processes to monitor and control distributed equipment. (2) SCADA systems focus on supervisory control and data acquisition from a central location rather than full control. They are software packages that interface with hardware controllers. (3) Historically, DCS controlled processes locally while SCADA provided higher-level control, but modern networks have blurred the distinction between the two terms which are now often used interchangeably.