Keeping you safe with data
Facilities partners with IT Services to monitor building capacity as campus services plan to return to full operations.
Custodial Support Services (CSS) has implemented enhanced safety protocols and more rigorous cleaning schedules to keep our campus community safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Increased costs of sanitization teams, protective equipment, and the need for more cleaning products compelled us to work smarter and find new ways to ensure campus is safe.
Facilities and IT Services have collaborated to introduce a new analytics capability that provides building capacity data for CSS managed campus buildings.
Knowing where people frequently gather helps focus cleaning efforts where they are most needed. It is equally important to understand where people do not congregate to ensure that CSS can focus resources in higher-traffic areas.
Similar real-time occupancy tools in the market capture data through thousands of door sensors, Carbon Dioxide monitors, and expensive video equipment. IT Services and CSS consulted with other universities, as well as the Records Management and Privacy Office, to implement a solution that works best for Queen’s needs. A Queen’s-designed analytics dashboard leverages our existing Wi-Fi network infrastructure to estimate the number of occupants in our campus buildings.
IT Services has made sure to address and protect our users’ privacy by using modern encryption, pseudonymization techniques, and robust security features like multifactor authentication. All personally identifiable information is removed from the data that is collected, and only summarized data is used to help drive business decisions.
Anticipating a gradual return to campus, Queen’s continues to innovate, providing safe digital and physical spaces for all staff, students and faculty.