The campus gets 'smart'

For the past seven years Deakin University has been voted the best university for student satisfaction in Victoria. This is testament to the wonderful work of Deakin’s academics and staff who are continually striving to improve every aspect of the university experience. The Smart Campus program is one of Deakin’s most ambitious efforts yet to delight its students, alumni and visitors.

The Smart Campus will embed an almost invisible layer of digital smarts into the built environment to make Deakin’s campuses more personalised, responsive, efficient and sustainable. Campus visitors, staff and students will find it easier to get around, find a parking space, buy a coffee or meet a friend.

‘While Deakin already has a wonderful physical campus environment, the Smart Campus program is about keeping up with digital advances occurring in all aspects of our lives and creating a campus that knows you and can make really useful things happen for you,’ says Lynn Warneke, Executive Director of Channels and Platforms.

Warneke is working with Chris Jones, Executive Director of the Campus Services Division, to realise the digital transformation of Deakin’s campuses.

‘We already have sensors all over the campus that are undertaking a multitude of tasks such as lighting and heating. The Smart Campus program will link these technologies and develop new ones to transform how people experience a day on campus or their life on campus,’ says Jones.

‘We have started by focusing on one of the most tangible experiences people have on campus – finding their way around,’ says Warneke.

‘Deakin’s location and occupancy platform uses our extensive WiFi network to determine the position of all connected devices on campus. From there, our Scout mobile app can guide students, staff and visitors around the campus, while delivering relevant content to their device based on their location.’

Through Scout, students can view occupancy ‘heat maps’ that will help them to identify busy and quiet areas on campus and determine the best place to study. If users choose to opt in to the services available through Scout, the campus environment will be able to react to them with more personalised experiences.

For example, they may be able to see if members of their study group are on campus, or if a friend is in a café. They can receive notifications through Scout about events that are happening nearby or relevant food and drink offers as they pass a café.

‘We’re also testing the ability of Scout to connect to the digital smart screens we have around campus in order to deliver timely, personalised information as individuals approach,’ says Warneke.

With Smart Campus, Deakin will be able to connect with students in ways that make a large, complex campus feel intimate. In the future it may be possible to track the wellbeing of students via their patterns of attendance and movement around the campus. Depending on student preferences this might trigger a staff member to check in with the student.

‘The ability of the campus to sense and respond to users’ interactions will also improve efficiency and sustainability. For example, smart heating and lighting will adjust to individual preferences,’ says Jones.

‘The enormous amounts of data generated from user activity and sensors will mean that campus management decisions will be based on real data, whether it’s the optimal use of teaching spaces, traffic control, scheduling security patrols or waste management.’

The technology layer is just one aspect of the program. It can only be fully effective if there is strong involvement from Deakin staff and students. All activities are overseen by the Smart Campus Steering Committee which has representation from all areas of the Deakin community including the Deakin University Student Association.

Every initiative undergoes extensive functionality, usability and desirability testing before it is deployed. Feedback from students has stressed the need to be transparent and provide clear options to opt in or out of any service. Privacy and security of data are of paramount importance to Deakin, and inform all aspects of the program.

Deakin’s Smart Campus strategy and program has already been recognised for its complexity, scale, impact and innovation, having been included in the prestigious 2017 Digital Edge 50. Deakin is the only Australian university named in this year’s list, which recognises just 50 organisations worldwide that are excelling in digital transformation.