RIT Campus Maps features study spaces

RIT Campus Map is a handy resource for finding a place to study.

The interactive website includes a feature for identifying the availability of nine different spaces, without having to walk across campus, especially during the winter months.

“We’ve added study spaces to the campus maps function and a trending and utilization indicator, so students can see if a location is full or has space availability,” said Arthur Miller, senior network manager at Information and Technology Services. “They can check the map and know right away.”

This semester, RIT Campus Map highlights two new study locations: The Accelerator Lab in the University Student Center, room 1660, and the 1829 Room in the Student Alumni Union, room 1510. The reconfigured lobby in the University Student Center includes additional seating and places to eat, and the Frank Ritter Ice Arena is also an alternative study and dining spot for students this semester. The map provides specific information for each study space, including phone number, hours, and COVID capacity, as well as when the data was refreshed.

The Study Area feature was added to the campus map last semester after the success of a similar tool for finding dining options. Available study and dining spaces are layered on top of a density map. Trend data is collected from nearly 7,500 access points on campus that detect devices connected to RIT’s Wi-Fi. The data is used to show if an area is busy or not.

“We can be somewhat accurate in saying this many devices are connected to Wallace Library and around that area,” Miller said, citing one example.  “If I look at last week’s data and compare it to now, I can say the library is busier than normal or usual. It’s a relative scale. Devices don’t equal people—laptops, smart watches, phones can be all one person—but it gives you an idea if an area is pretty busy now compared to last week.”

James Myers, associate provost for International Education and Global Programs at RIT, has led the effort to identify new study spaces on campus that meet COVID-19 safety protocols. He credits Miller and his ITS team for making it easy to find study areas on the RIT Campus Map. Miller shines light on Leslie Shuang Chang, Chris Dumlao, Jim Matasovsky, Michelle Mullen, and Kevin Schoenfeld, whose behind-the-scenes work on the map gives students a tool for navigating the semester.