Campus digital signage to launch

Campus Digital Signage

Developed and published by Sponsored by

GUIDE

Schools, institutions and corporations are learning that digital signage is an effective way to inform.

Find out how to make the most out of learning and teaching through a digital medium.

2© 2011 NetWorld Alliance LLC | Sponsored by DYNASIGN

Contents

Page 3 About the sponsors

Page 4 Introduction

Page 5 Chapter 1 | Digital signage components Location Display panels Display mounts and enclosures Media players Wiring Internet connection Content and content management Remote network management

Page 8 Chapter 2 | The digital signage process Planning Pilot Rollout Ongoing network and content management

Page 11 Chapter 3 | Three key functions for campus digital signage Targetcasting Content automation Audience interaction and measurement

Page 15 Chapter 4 | Campus digital signage applications East Carolina University University of California, Davis Loyola University Chicago The John Marshall Law School Hudson Valley Community College Owasso Public Schools

Page 18 Chapter 5 | Current status and future trends

Campus Digital Signage


About the sponsors

Published by NetWorld Alliance LLC© 2011 NetWorld Alliance LLCAll photos courtesy of DYNASIGN, unless otherwise specified.Written by Richard Slawsky, contributing writer, DigitalSignageToday.com.Tom Harper, president and publisherJoseph Grove, executive editorEmily Wheeler, managing editor of special publicationsCourtney Bailey, assistant managing editor of special publications

DYNASIGN is a leading digital signage technology developer based in Silicon Valley, Calif. DYNASIGN offers a highly scalable and robust enterprise-class digital signage network platform with advanced TARGETCASTING technology that allows screenmedia network op-erators to seamlessly publish the contents to one screen, a defined col-lection of screens or all screens. DYNASIGN’s reputable DYNASIGN Online Service portal provides easy access to the content programming and network management user interface to distribute the contents and manage the media players deployed in the field.

DYNASIGN is a founding member of the Digital Screenmedia Asso-ciation and has been actively involved in many industry associations and organizations to advocate and advance the industry. DYNASIGN also is involved in selective vertical industry organizations, particu-larly educational organizations to learn about, educate and work with user communities.

DigitalSignageToday.com, operated by Louisville, Ky.-based Net-World Alliance, is the leading online publisher of news and informa-tion on the emerging world of digital signage, dynamic messaging and cutting-edge business communication technologies. The content, which is updated every business day and read by professionals around the world, is provided free of charge to readers.

4

Introduction

In a tough economy, digital signage tech-nologies and deployments remain one of the few bright spots, continuing to

grow. Digital signage screens have become an indispensable communications tool for many types and sizes of business, particu-larly university campuses. Almost every university has established a digital signage system, ranging from a few screens in the administration building to a campus-wide screenmedia network. While most of the networks are well established, the sharing of content and utilization of the screens has tremendous room for improvement. How-ever, the foundation for the improvements must start with a university or campus-wide initiative, instead of treating the process as a facility improvement project.

Digital signage is no longer brand new; most of the technologies, in fact, are very mature. More information, then, is available to allow clients to control the deployment pace and keep costs manageable.

The latest innovation is cloud-based digital signage. More institutions are starting to keep their information “in the cloud,” making Software as a Service (SaaS), or managed services, a good consideration for university digital signage deployments. The SaaS model offers a flexible deploy-ment schedule and budget for a minimum initial investment.

Any digital signage screen deployment, even as small as a one-screen project, should be coordinated by a single central-ized stakeholder on campus. Too often, each department deploys its own digital signage, meaning the athletic department is running a different system than the sci-ence department, for example, and mak-

ing it harder to display content across all screens. A best practice is to have a univer-sity communications team partner with the IT group to evaluate and contract a single technology vendor for all screen deploy-ments on campus. The contract even can be for just one or a few screens as the university determines how it wants to use digital signage. Having a central manage-ment structure and master contract will ensure the continuity and consistency of all digital signage screens for content reach and sharing, as well as a unified visual appearance and centrally managed screen-media network.

During the technology evaluation process, make sure to review a few mainstream and stable vendors. Some of the must-have features for university applications include scalability, usability, granular access control for collaborative content contributions, seamless interactive application and ready-to-use live data feed integration from uni-versity applications such as events, sched-ules and emergency alerts.

The following chapters provide the basic building blocks and best practices for estab-lishing and operating an effective campus-wide digital signage network.

Important features for digital signage in universities include:

Scalability Usability Granular access control Interactivity Live data feed integration

© 2011 NetWorld Alliance LLC | Sponsored by DYNASIGN

By Richard SlawskyContributing editor, DigitalSignageToday.com


From the audience’s perspective, digital signage consists of content, and the screens to display that content. But

behind each screen, there often is a complex system that ties different pieces together. It is important for every digital signage project manager to understand the various digital signage components behind the scenes and how they work together. Those compo-nents, or building blocks, include location, display panels, mounts, media players, wiring, content, content management and remote network management.

LocationLocation is just as important to digital sig-nage as it is to real estate. Determining the right location to place screens is one of the most important issues to consider when deploying digital signage networks.

The location should have high traffic, unique demographics and enough atten-tion span from the targeted audience. A space where people have to walk by rapidly, for example, is probably not a good fit for digital signage, because the audience won’t have time to look at the screen.

Ease of installation and maintenance also should be considered. If, once the screen is placed, it will be almost impossible to repair should something go down, then a different location should be considered.

On college campuses, building lobbies and student unions, which see the most student traffic, have become targets for digital signage.

Display panelsMany display technologies, including plasma, LCD, projection and LED screens, can be used for digital signage. While consumer-grade LCD displays may seem to be a lower-cost option, they can end up being more expensive. The initial purchase price might be less, but consumer-grade displays are not built for the long operating hours necessary for digital signage display. As well, consumer-grade displays do not have the same warranties as commercial-grade displays. Many professional displays have a three- to five-year warranty.

Professional displays also offer remote con-trol and management features via RS232. Most professional displays have a built-in video wall processor that allows a deployer to set up 2 x 2, 3 x 3 or even 4 x 4 multi-screen video walls without using expensive graphics cards.

All of these benefits mean commercial-grade displays should always be the pre-ferred choice for digital signage networks.

Display mounts and enclosuresDepending on the installation locations and requirements, mounts and enclosures can sometimes be an expensive invest-ment. Ceiling mounts, wall mounts, pole mounts and floor stands with various enclosures are the common options for installing display panels.

Media playersThe main functions of a digital signage media player are content download and playback.

Chapter 1 Digital signage components


CHAPTER 1 Digital signage components

Media players come in all shapes and sizes, but can be divided into two major catego-ries: PC-based players or digital media chip-based players.

Digital media chip-based players can be very low cost, but they often have limita-tions in terms of content formats, screen zoning, playback and integration options.

On the other hand, PC-based players, especially those purpose-built small form factor media players, often are running Windows-based or Linux-based digital sig-nage software. They offer a more powerful and flexible set of features. They are able to operate longer hours than consumer PCs. Therefore, the purpose-built media players are the preferred choice for digital signage networks, especially for campus digital signage, which often requires integration to other systems on campus.

WiringWiring includes the electric power, the network connection and the audio/video cables between local media players and the display panels.

Small form factor media players can usu-ally be mounted in the back of display pan-els and require less wiring. Media players also can be installed in a back room. In the latter case, wiring has to be done between the media players and the display panels.

Audio/video cable wiring options include regular VGA cables for distances within 100 feet or CAT5 cables with a transmitter and receivers for longer ranges. Some CAT5 solutions can support up to 1,000 feet.

Internet connectionBroadband Internet connection is required for digital signage networks to distribute content. Wired or wireless routers can be installed locally to connect the media play-ers to the Internet.

Mobile 3G/4G is another option, if local Internet connection becomes an issue.

Having widely available broadband Internet on campus is a big plus for digital signage.

Content and content managementContent is one of the most important pieces in the digital signage puzzle. Con-tent has various types and formats. Typical content types for digital signage include image, video, Flash and RSS/XML content feeds. Some content types, such as PDF, PPT and Word files, are not suitable for digital signage without repurposing.

Pros and cons of chip-based and PC-based players

Chip-based player

PC-based player

Pros: Cons:

Inexpensive

Limited playback functionalityFewer types of content formats supportedLess ability to zone screensFewer integration options

More expensive

More powerful featuresBetter flexibilityRun on Windows-based or Linux-based softwareRun longer hours


CHAPTER 1 Digital signage components

It is important for deployers to develop a content design and style guide accord-ing to their business requirements. At the heart of a digital signage network is its content management system. At the very basic level, content management provides content scheduling, content publishing and content delivery features for digital signage. Advanced content management features include content tagging, content triggering, two-way communication and an open platform for integration.

Remote network managementTo keep a digital signage network healthy and running cost-effectively, the network should be able to be managed remotely, avoiding unnecessary field services. Good management services should be able to fix 90 percent of all problems remotely with-out dispatching a technician to the site.

Typical content types Image Video Flash RSS/XML feeds

At the heart of a digital signage network is its content management system, so the deployer can easily display information that is both engaging and useful.


Campus digital signage is not a finished product, but rather an iterative process including

planning, pilot, rollout and ongoing management. Before jumping into a digital signage network project, it’s important to not only grasp the concept of various digital signage components and how they work together, but also to understand the process. It’s an on going monitor, refine and repeat process.

PlanningDuring the planning phase, the first step is to assess the need and build the team. Come up with a concrete list of reasons for the purpose of the digital signage. Clar-ity can be gained by looking at the project from a “needs standpoint” — in other words, what needs is this system going to meet? What pain is being alleviated? If the institution has trouble answering these questions, it should take a step back and reassess why it is pursuing digital signage in the first place.

“Building a digital signage network is a process,” said Jimmy Dun, vice president of business development for Fremont,

Calif.-based digital signage technology and service provider DYNASIGN. “In addition to the deployment budget and resources, the planning team needs to establish ongo-ing management resources. Most of the projects that we have seen are well planned in the deployment phase but lack com-mitment to resources post-deployment. Without the long-term planning and com-mitment, the deployment investment will not be effective.”

“Another important aspect of digital signage project planning is to have a top-down approach,” Dun said. “No mat-ter how many screens the initial phase is deploying, even if the scope is as small as only one or two screens, schools need to conduct a campus-wide analysis instead of a departmental or a group initiative in planning and selecting solutions.”

Although more work might be involved in the planning stage, schools should con-sider it an investment in a unified campus operation. A digital signage managed service solution may be well positioned to start a small network with unlimited scal-ability and flexible deployment schedules. It allows the deployer to focus more on business requirements rather than how to get different technology components in place and make them work together. The scope of projects based on the bottom-up approach usually is isolated and limited to requirements in the local department or facility. If each department or facility starts its own digital signage deployment without coordination, the school will likely end up with a few different isolated digital signage systems using different technologies that cannot be connected together.

Chapter 2 The digital signage process

What needs is the system meeting?

What pain is being alleviated?

How will success be measured?

Who will manage the content?

Who will keep the system working and up to date?

Questions to ask when deciding on digital signage


CHAPTER 2 The digital signage process

With goals and measurement criteria in hand, it’s time to build the team that will be responsible for the project. The top-down planning approach will require colleges to form a centralized digital signage project team, including IT, marketing, finance and department representatives. The central-ized team, will determine objectives and phases of the project.

PilotMost digital signage projects come in at least two stages — pilot and rollout. The goals of the pilot are to demonstrate the benefits and feasibility of campus digital signage, to estimate the resources required for on-going management and finally, to evaluate the usability, scalability and qual-ity of technologies for the real deployment.

One major mistake is to do all of the plan-ning with an eye on the pilot, leaving the team with some significant growing pains when it comes time to deploy the full bat-tery of screens. To stave off those growing pains, begin by making three basic projec-tions: pilot, initial rollout and one year later. For each of these landmarks, cata-logue and project estimated needs for each of the following:

Number of hardware devices that will be deployed.

Number of software licenses needed.

Network bandwidth requirements — what is needed to deliver the content, process transactions, etc. across all devices

Media assets needed — how much cre-ative will be needed in order to fuel the project? How will that change over time, and as the number of devices increases?

Human resources needed — how many people are going to be tasked with keep-ing the deployment running smoothly on a day-to-day basis?

Deployers often make the mistake of focus-ing on the first two items on that list — hard-ware and software — because they are the biggest and most expensive, at least on the front end. But over time, content creation and network management can end up being the heaviest loads to bear.

RolloutOnce the pilot project has proven to be successful, the rollout can begin phase by phase according to the schedule and plan. At the rollout stage, the deployer can potentially transition from a complete top-down planning approach to a hy-brid top-down and bottom-up approach. The top-down approach ensures that a campus-wide roadmap for digital signage is developed. All screens on campus will become an integral part of an overall campus communication platform. On the other hand, the bottom-up approach can speed up deployment at the departmental or facility level. Each department can start its rollout based on the common platform and the same standard, but according to its own resources and schedule. By taking this two-pronged approach, the deployer reaps the benefits of both worlds.

One major mistake is to do all of the planning with an eye on the pilot,

leaving the team with some significant growing pains when it comes time to

deploy the full battery of screens.


Ongoing network and content managementManaging a large campus digital signage network can potentially be a daunting task. It’s important to keep content up to date and relevant to the audience. In addition to publishing their own content, deploy-ers should determine what kind of external content feeds might be appropriate for the network. The digital signage network also may be integrated with other information systems on campus to automatically de-liver dynamic content and information to screens. Make sure that the digital signage software or service allows easy integration with third-party content sources and ap-plications. No matter where the displays are located physically, whether within the same building or across multiple campuses, con-tent can be updated dynamically and cen-trally; the displays and the players should be monitored and controlled centrally.

As the network grows from a few screens to tens or even hundreds of screens on cam-pus, the deployer will be going through an iterative process to make the campus digital signage better and more cost-effective.

CHAPTER 2 The key business advantages of cellular networks


Campus digital signage keeps faculty, staff, students and visitors through-out the campus connected. Whether

at their desks or on the run, everyone can stay informed. A campus-wide digital signage network usually includes screens with media players at multiple locations throughout one or more campuses. Both campus-level network managers and department-level managers will need to program content for the network. How to effectively manage content and audience interaction becomes extremely important in this multi-location and multi-user environ-ment. In this chapter, we’ll introduce three key functions to manage campus digital signage better and more cost-effectively.

TargetcastingThe essence of digital signage is target-casting. Targetcasting allows a digital signage deployer to accomplish what TV broadcasting or campus TV narrowcasting cannot accomplish. It allows a deployer to deliver individualized content to screens on a network based on their locations. While a digital signage network can be used to deliver the same message to all screens, it is the function of targetcasting that sets IP-based digital signage networks apart from the traditional campus narrow-casting TV network. After a large campus digital signage network has been deployed, it should be able to perform the following functions routinely and effectively:

Publish content to all screens in the entire network

Publish content to screens in only one building or department (for example, the library)

Publish content to screens with certain specific attributes at different locations across campus, such as screens only placed at the entrances of buildings

Publish content to a particular screen, e.g., a screen inside the bookstore

Campus-wide emergency alerts would go to all screens, for example, while a depart-mental seminar event appears only on selected screens.

Use the content management system to effectively organize the screens and assign proper access controls to multiple users based on how content can be published on the network. For example, screens should be grouped based on locations and other attributes. A campus-wide network manager should have full control on all screens, while a department-level manager may only be allowed to publish content to the screens in the department. As big as a campus digital signage network can be, allowing local managers to have as much local control as possible is the most effi-cient way to deliver the right content to the right screens at the right time. All screens should be centrally managed campus-wide on the common platform with the flexibil-

Chapter 3 Three key functions for campus digital signage

(Targetcasting) allows a deployer to deliver individualized content to screens on a network

based on their locations, setting IP-based digital signage apart from traditional narrowcasting.


CHAPTER 3 Three key functions for campus digital signage

ity of dedicated local control.

Content automationThe best content engages the audience with relevant and timely information. That means keeping content fresh and up to date, with regular updates and influxes of new information. Manually collecting, producing and publishing content to a campus digital signage network is a daunt-ing and expensive undertaking. Content may be the king, but content management is really the heart and soul of a digital sig-nage network. With the help of a content management system, the entire content flow process can be automated to deliver fresh content to the screens, while at the same time minimizing human errors and labor cost. Content automation provides efficiency for a campus network.

The basic concept in content automation is to automate the entire content flow pro-cess from content collection at the source to content playback on screens. The job of a digital signage content management system is to make the content automation process easy and seamless, including:

Collection: Retrieve the content elements automatically from their sources with update intervals specific to each particular content area

Presentation: Use a set of predefined content templates designed for indi-vidual content sources

Scheduling: Schedule content deliv-ery and playback time

Delivery: Deliver content elements, including XML and media files to the media players

Playback: Play content according to

the predetermined schedules

Implementing the content automation process ensures up-to-date and relevant content flow to displays throughout the campus automatically, without manual intervention.

Content automation can feed a wide variety of content sources to the screens automatically, including:

Emergency alert systems Event scheduling systems Weather and news feeds Social media applications Bus schedule information Local events and community

information Campus poll or survey results

Without content automation, content publishing requires a significant amount of manual operation. However, by imple-menting content automation, content

The Chicago Transit Authority uses content automation to au-tomatically update the digital signage network that broadcasts real-time bus scheduling information using GPS technology.



publishing becomes seamless and effort-less. The end result is that each screen on campus becomes an effective communica-tion tool to display the relevant content to the right people at the right place at the right time.

There are numerous ways for content to be automated in the academic setting, from linking scheduling software to show which rooms are being used for what or when tu-ition payments are due, to linking to online RSS feeds to automatically import up-to-the-minute news or weather information, to linking to social media sites, such as Twitter, to display tweets featuring certain tagged words.

A project DYNASIGN has worked on with the Chicago Transit Authority provides a good example of simple content automation that will captivate at least a certain number of eyes on campus. DYNASIGN and the CTA have piloted a digital signage network that broadcasts up-to-date, real-time bus scheduling information using GPS technol-ogy, letting bus riders know just how long it will be before the next bus arrives based on the current location of the bus.

Audience interaction and measurementThe first generation digital signage net-work can be characterized by delivery of one-way passive content without audience interaction and measurement. A deployer could know how many times an image or

a video had been shown, but it was impos-sible to determine if anyone actually saw it. By introducing audience interaction into digital signage, the audience is engaged and the deployer can obtain audience mea-surement and tracking. Like other digital signage networks, campus digital signage can engage its audience with interactivity in a variety of effective ways:

Touchscreens. Touchscreen technolo-gy is the most common way to achieve audience interaction. Touchscreens have been popular for many years in informational kiosk systems. By integrating digital signage with infor-mational kiosk applications, a hybrid solution can be created that shares the benefits of both worlds. A digital signage loop with up-to-date content can be played while no one interacts with the screen, but then switch to interactive mode immediately upon touch. All clicks can be recorded and analyzed for audience measurement.

Mobile phones. In recent years, smartphones, such as the iPhone or Android, have experienced tremen-dous growth. Those smartphones are

Content may be the king, but content management is really the heart and soul of a digital signage network.

Content automation can feed digital signage screens to publish campus-wide emergency alerts.



pre-installed with Web browsers and also have the capabilities for add-on applications. Campus digital signage can use mobile websites or mobile applications to allow audience interac-tion with screens in real time.

Anonymous video analytics. Another form of interaction is through anony-mous video analytics (AVA). By inte-grating AVA software (such as Intel’s AIM) with the digital signage player, a deployer can detect the number of people who have looked at a screen and how long they were looking at it. Con-tent can then be triggered according to the presence and gender of an audience in front of the screens. The number of impressions, length of impressions, audience size, dwell time and gender data all can be recorded and analyzed for anonymous audience analysis.

Web applications. While most inter-

actions can happen in front of screens, another type of interaction can occur away from screens. When properly managed and controlled, social media applications, such as Facebook, Twit-ter and Flickr, can be used to interact with campus digital signage. For ex-ample, messages can be sent to screens via Twitter feeds, allowing the audi-ence to interact with the screens even when not on campus. Results from student polls and surveys can be col-lected from Web applications and sent to screens automatically in real time.

An audience can achieve interactivity with digital signage via different means. Wheth-er they are in front of a digital signage screen at the location or miles away, in this new paradigm, the audience will be able to interact with and contribute to digital sig-nage screens. Campus digital signage is no longer a stand-alone technology; instead, it becomes an integral part of the campus communications platform.

The campus digital signage network at Hudson Valley Community College uses Twitter feeds to populate the screens and interact with the audience.


For schools, digital signage represents a powerful new tool that can unify communications, improve campus

life and generate revenue, all through the same effort. The campus environment can provide a large number of viewers per display with high viewing frequency of a homogenous and attractive demographic. That perfect marriage of ideal audience and ideal technology is turning the campus into one of the most active environments for new digital signage installations.

“The key to success is to make the screens part of campus life with relevant live content, contributed seamlessly by all levels of school officials, academic programs, sports and student organizations, promotions, postings and instant alerts of any critical events and warnings.”— Jimmy Dun, vice president of business development, DYNASIGN

“Among all digital signage network deploy-ments so far, the school campus is one of the ideal use cases,” said DYNASIGN’s Dun. “With such a high concentration of the interest-related audiences, messages on well-placed digital signage screens on cam-pus are guaranteed to reach every student. The key to success is to make the screens part of campus life with relevant live con-tent, contributed seamlessly by all level of school officials, academic programs, sports and student organizations, promotions, postings and instant alerts of any critical events and warnings.”

In this chapter, we are going to take a look at a few campus digital signage projects in the United States.

East Carolina UniversityEast Carolina University (ECU), an emerg-ing national research university with an enrollment of more than 24,000 students and 5,000 faculty members and staff, started by deploying a campus-wide digital signage network of 100 screens through-out its campus using DYNASIGN’s Online Managed Service. ECU has a centralized digital signage taskforce. By working with different departments and facilities, the centralized taskforce team has successfully deployed screens at key locations through-out the campus, including the cafeteria, library, bookstore, academic buildings and student housing buildings.

“Our main objective when implementing a digital signage network on our campus was to provide a centrally managed solution for marketing and emergency notification. It was important that we find something that could be taken over quickly in an emer-gency situation but was flexible enough to allow individual control within depart-ments,” said Brandon Estes, spokesperson for ECU. ECU publishes content of various types, including image, Flash, HD video and RSS feeds, on its network. It uses the network for general school informa-tion and announcements, departmental

Chapter 4 Campus digital signage applications

East Carolina University needed a way to communicate with students and staff quickly and effectively. Digital signage offered a solution.


CHAPTER 4 Campus digital signage applications

information and events and promotion of on-campus retail and food services. ECU’s marketing department defines the content and screen layout standard, while each department controls the screens at its location. Therefore, it is important for the digital signage content management system to have granular user access control so each user can be granted different privi-leges based on the location of the screens they can control.

University of California, Davis

At University of California, Davis, one of 10 campuses of the world’s preeminent public university system, the Graduate School of Management, rolled out a net-work of five screens within a few weeks, using DYNASIGN Online. Screens were strategically placed at the major entrances of the school buildings. A hybrid of digi-tal signage loops and a kiosk application, including a calendar, events, a directory and a floor plan, deliver both up-to-date and interactive content for faculty, staff, students and visitors to the school.

Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago, a private uni-versity with an enrollment of more than 15,000 students on multiple campuses, has been operating a digital signage network of

30 screens using DYNASIGN since early 2007. The digital signage network mainly is used for student and employee communi-cation across multiple campuses.

“A digital signage network not only im-proves communications on the campus among students, faculty and staff, but also serves the needs of students who today expect more timely access to information utilizing a technology they embrace,” said Alan Stockbridge of Silverbeacon, a digital signage system integrator that deployed the network for Loyola University Chi-cago. “The digital signage screens not only provide communication, but also give the campuses a modern, vibrant atmosphere that is current with today’s technology.”

The 30-screen network also facilitates intercampus communications. The Lake Shore campus, serving as the main resi-dential and undergraduate campus, and the downtown campus, hosting a majority of graduate-level classes, are approximately eight miles apart. After the deployment of the digital signage network, the students, faculty and staff at the two locations can now share up-to-date information, such as school events, calendars and messages from the president, on these digital screens.

In addition to sharing information on the campus, Loyola University Chicago also


Hudson Valley Community CollegeFounded in 1953, Hudson Valley Com-munity College is sponsored by Rensselaer County and is part of the State University of New York system. The college serves ap-proximately 13,500 students each semes-ter, and employs more than 630 full- and part-time faculty members. Hudson Valley Community College has deployed more than a dozen screens on its campus.

Owasso Public Schools Digital signage has not been contained to just college campuses. Owasso Public Schools in Owasso, Okla., is just one of many K-12 schools that use digital signage to provide the same informational benefits to students at universities, such as ECU and The John Marshall Law School. The Owasso Public Schools deployment with DYNASIGN Online Service has used digital signage to connect its 15 schools together within its system.

uses the network to deliver local commu-nity-service information, alumni infor-mation, obituaries and more. Since the inception of the digital signage network, the university has found that demand has increased by user groups to creatively display more content that can be published on the network to promote the school and local community.

The John Marshall Law SchoolThe John Marshall Law School is a law school in Chicago, founded in 1899.

The John Marshall Law School has de-ployed a campus digital signage network with DYNASIGN products since 2009. The downtown Chicago campus includes four buildings. Thirteen screens were de-ployed in 2009, followed by an additional 12 screens in 2010. The Chicago Transit Authority Bus Tracker feed is integrated as part of the digital signage on campus.

The school has set up the live feed to screens in buildings across campus show-ing when certain buses will be arriving at certain bus stops. Students who ride the buses to and from school can check the signs to see when they need to head toward the bus stop. That’s a built-in audi-ence, and one that will be checking the screen regularly throughout the day.

CHAPTER 4 Campus digital signage applications


Multiple factors have spurred the growth of digital signage networks on campus in North

America over the past few years, including:

Requirements for campus-wide emer-gency announcements

Better campus communications for faculty, staff, students and visitors

Widely available broadband infra-structure on campus

Increasing affordability of display panels Maturing digital signage technologies

Even though more and more colleges are adopting campus digital signage today, digital signage is still considered a “nice-to-have” by many colleges. Tight budgets, coupled with other, higher priority and “must-have” projects are major hindrances to the growth of campus digital signage. Digital signage screens are sometimes referred to as the fifth screen, after movie theater screens, television screens, personal computer screens and mobile phone screens.

New products often start out as “nice-to-haves,” but some of those products can transition from “nice-to-have” to “must-have.” Digital signage has the potential to become a must-have on campus. In order to be labeled as must-have, a product must become an integral part of a business pro-cess or an integral part of daily life.

Helping digital signage become a necessity instead of a luxury includes its ability to:

Automate live content based on time, location and user interaction

Provide two-way messaging by lever-aging existing databases

Connect digital signage screens with mobile phones and desktop PC screens

Engage students, making the signage an integral way to communicate with viewers

Integrate real-time polling and survey results

Digital signage on campus has the po-tential to become an integral part of the campus communications platform and a required part of campus life. The contin-ued growth of digital signage technology, as well as falling prices, will help digital signage go from a nice-to-have to a must-have part of any campus.

Chapter 5 Current status and future trends

Marketing

Campus digital signage to launch