A frontend system communicating with an industrial control system, comprising: a visualization component configured to concurrently visualize a functional ICS view and a further functional view, the functional ICS view being representative of ICS data associated with the industrial control system, the further functional view being a further functional ICS view which is representative of ICS data associated with the industrial control system or being a functional GIS view which is representative of GIS data associated with a geographic information system, the functional views (117, 118) being configured to perform a function in response to an associating event; a data input component configured to receive input data from a user, the input data indicating a directed associating operation (10, 20) between the functional ICS view and the further functional view, wherein said directed associating operation refers to an operation which associates objects of a source view with a target view; and a processor component configured to: launch the associating event in response to the received input data if the directed associating operation is allowed, if the directed associating operation is directed from at least one object of the further functional view as the source view to the functional ICS view as the target view, perform the function associated with the functional ICS view based on one or more properties of the at least one object of the further functional view, if the directed associating operation is directed from at least one ICS object of the functional ICS view as the source view to the further functional view as the target view, perform the function associated with the further functional view based on properties of the at least one ICS object, and update visualization data of the functional views (117, 118) according to the performed function. a visualization component configured to concurrently visualize a functional ICS view and a further functional view, the functional ICS view being representative of ICS data associated with the industrial control system, the further functional view being a further functional ICS view which is representative of ICS data associated with the industrial control system or being a functional GIS view which is representative of GIS data associated with a geographic information system, the functional views (117, 118) being configured to perform a function in response to an associating event; a data input component configured to receive input data from a user, the input data indicating a directed associating operation (10, 20) between the functional ICS view and the further functional view, wherein said directed associating operation refers to an operation which associates objects of a source view with a target view; and a processor component configured to: launch the associating event in response to the received input data if the directed associating operation is allowed, if the directed associating operation is directed from at least one object of the further functional view as the source view to the functional ICS view as the target view, perform the function associated with the functional ICS view based on one or more properties of the at least one object of the further functional view, if the directed associating operation is directed from at least one ICS object of the functional ICS view as the source view to the further functional view as the target view, perform the function associated with the further functional view based on properties of the at least one ICS object, and update visualization data of the functional views (117, 118) according to the performed function. launch the associating event in response to the received input data if the directed associating operation is allowed, if the directed associating operation is directed from at least one object of the further functional view as the source view to the functional ICS view as the target view, perform the function associated with the functional ICS view based on one or more properties of the at least one object of the further functional view, if the directed associating operation is directed from at least one ICS object of the functional ICS view as the source view to the further functional view as the target view, perform the function associated with the further functional view based on properties of the at least one ICS object, and update visualization data of the functional views (117, 118) according to the performed function.