A distributed control system (DCS) collects data from various parts of an industrial plant, processes the data, and controls the plant equipment. It consists of field control stations that interface with sensors and actuators, operator stations for monitoring and control, and engineering stations for configuration. DCS offers advantages like lower overall cost, improved process interfacing, flexibility, and reliability compared to traditional centralized control systems. It is used across many industries like oil and gas, chemicals, manufacturing, and more.