You may have noticed some spaces on campus, such as a few rooms in the Library, 2 East and 6 West South, have temporary technology fitted to provide information about occupancy and environment.
This is part of a pilot to assess different technologies that measure how these spaces are used. Such information can provide insights to inform and support organisational decisions about our campus spaces.
The benefits of understanding how we use our space
With the continuing pressures on University finances, changes to how we work and the services we provide, and our commitment to reducing carbon emissions, it’s important we’re using our spaces as effectively as possible.
Understanding how many people are in our spaces and when, helps the University to begin informed conversations which can bring about positive changes. For example, these insights could help:
- Create spaces that work better for the needs of our community
- Reduce unnecessary energy-use from heating and cooling empty space
- Inform the most effective way to spend maintenance budgets
- Improve usage of existing spaces, and reduce the need for new buildings
- Show available study spaces to students
- The use of campus as a living lab for our researchers and taught students
The methods that are being piloted
Several new and existing data sources will be piloted to find out if they can collectively offer a better understanding how we use our campus spaces, such as:
- Room booking, allocation and cost data sets
- Wi-Fi connection data
- Beam-break sensors on doors
- Environmental sensors
- People counting camera technology
If you are using one of the spaces included within the pilot, please continue to use the space as you normally would.
Anonymised data
All technology and processes maintain the anonymity of who is in a space and will never track an individual’s behaviour, either directly or indirectly.