How to make your campus Covid-secure
Posted 4 years ago by Switched On Space
The students who started university this year have had dramatically different experiences to those of the previous year. Much smaller class sizes, online lectures, halls segregated by course topic, and only virtual freshers’ events. Remaining open despite the varying tier restrictions is a positive yet significant challenge for those faced with adhering to the ‘Covid-secure’ guidelines required to keep everyone safe.
So, what if there was a smart technical solution that not only ensured the safety of staff and students immediately as they return to campus, but also secured a better university experience for the long term?
Meet, Safe by Density! It’s a highly effective people counting technical platform that universities across the United States are using right now to maintain safe capacity limits in both their classrooms and common areas like dining halls, libraries, lounges, and gyms.
University space has one common feature. It’s never easy to predict how many people will be in any given lecture theatre, library, or canteen at any particular time. Density devices can be installed easily above almost any kind of doorway. Using sensors, the platform 100% accurately counts how many people enter and exit rooms, floors, or whole buildings, in real-time. What’s more, unlike cameras, Density does not capture any personally identifiable information, meaning no one’s privacy is invaded.
Providing API dashboard and mobile app accessible data about the busyness of a room or whole area means campus administrators can monitor occupancy levels in real-time. They can also use the predictive analysis to better resource common areas for further down the line or choose which lecture theatres to host which classes.
The platform can also help facilities teams’ clean spaces based on actual usage. Campus cleaning crews can identify highly trafficked areas and target them for additional cleaning protocols while avoiding spaces that have not been visited.
The students experience is enhanced too! One thing we do know is Generation Z are digital savvy – they are used to the convenience and control brought to them on their mobile phones. Accessing Density’s safe alerts and displays empowers every student to see where is busy and when. It allows them to make choices on when they go to the library, the gym, or the canteen, reducing wait time and allowing self-regulation of footfall. It’s also possible for them to hook up study spaces to booking systems which monitor occupancy.
As well as managing campus wide social distancing and safety metrics via the Density display, users can easily and immediately change occupancy thresholds to respond to staffing or pandemic related issues as they happen. Density, however, is not only a unique response to COVID 19. As the pandemic eventually subsides, universities can use the platform data to fully understand the flow of people across buildings over time.
The data can be used to improve financial efficiency – dining services can be matched to forecasted demand to save time and money, unused real estate can be identified, and IT services can be adjusted based on foot traffic patterns.
New and improved university spaces can be designed based on actual usage data, creating a better overall experience for both staff and students now and in the future.
Read more here for detailed information on how the Safe by Density platform works
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