Campus Space Study

The university continues to have new demands for space and a tool currently doesn’t exist to measure the real-time density and occupancy of spaces. This type of data will help inform decision making related to adding or improving space on campus to enhance our ability to deliver high-quality undergraduate and graduate education and other mission-critical student services.

The goal of the study is to provide insights in order to optimize use of our current spaces, respond to requests for additional space, and plan for future updates or expansion of spaces.

The data will also help inform the university’s sustainability goals in alignment with its commitment to Laudato Sí and care for our common home. Having accurate occupancy data helps USD reduce its carbon footprint and utility consumption. It also informs how we deploy building maintenance technicians and custodial staff in an effort to improve service and create the best possible experience for building occupants across campus.

We are mapping the campus and utilizing both scheduling documentation and real-time density and occupancy reports. Scheduling documents include but are not limited to class schedules, anticipated section enrollments (including the number of students scheduled to be in specific classes), event management system (EMS) reports and other hard data.

USD is partnering with Occuspace and Smith Group to conduct this study. Real time density and occupancy reports are generated by sensors (provided by our partner, Occuspace) that will be placed in multiple zones and connected to WiFi to determine the occupancy and length of stay in grouped spaces. Spaces being measured include classrooms, conference spaces, grouped or shared office spaces, community spaces and specialty spaces. It’s important that sensors are not touched or moved during the measurement period.

Occuspace has worked with other universities, including UC San Diego, Vanderbilt and Virginia Commonwealth University.

No individual person or office space will be measured. Maintaining personal privacy is a top priority. Occuspace sensors are privacy-friendly and do not collect or store any personally identifiable information. Occuspace is General Data Protection Regulation and California Consumer Privacy Act compliant. This firm was interviewed by USD ITS and deemed the most effective to provide the best possible data and ensure privacy.

The data will not be used for any purposes other than space management and planning. Furthermore, the data will not be used to infer individuals' identities or to track attendance. USD will not provide the information to third parties.

Additionally, information will be collected based on zones and areas and the focus will not be on individual office usage. Information on Occuspace’s privacy policy can be found here.

Occuspace sensors measure occupancy by passively scanning for transmittable devices (mobile phones and/or computers) in spaces. The sensors do not collect identifiable information on occupants in the spaces. Sensors do not have video or audio recording capabilities.

The Campus Space Study steering committee will convene in May 2025 with a goal of preparing a report by May 2026.

Although sensor(s) may be placed in individual offices, rest assured we are not monitoring anyone's individual offices. All of the occupancy data is aggregated and reported for collective zones. For example, there could be occupancy sensors installed in multiple offices, conference rooms, etc. throughout a building but these are aligned to 'read' broader areas of the entire floor and report the data back as a zone. Be assured that the Occuspace technology is completely privacy safe.

Right now USD doesn’t collect data on space utilization, so this study will provide great insights into how our spaces are utilized. Collecting this data is only one datapoint in reviewing how we utilize our space (along with university/college/unit priorities and the needs of our academic programs).

Collecting this data can help improve the experience on campus by:

• Improving sustainability by optimizing heating and cooling required in different spaces.
• Better deploying staff resources, like facilities and housekeeping services, based on the level of use in different spaces on campus (including increasing staffing for higher traffic areas that may require more frequent maintenance or cleaning).
• More efficient scheduling and assigning of spaces by understanding use patterns across campus.
• USD could also provide real time occupancy data for commonly used spaces (like study or dining spaces) to help campus community members know where space might be available. See an example of this here.

At this point most sensors have been deployed by Occuspace employees and calibrated across campus. Some adjustments may be required. Thank you in advance for not moving, unplugging or handling sensors.

Calibration of the sensors does require a physical count of occupants in our spaces to ensure that the sensors are reading areas correctly. We are aware of some instances where Occuspace employees accidentally entered instructional or meeting spaces while sessions were in progress. Please be assured that Occuspace has reviewed these instances and is working closely with our USD facilities and building staff to minimize disruption to classes, research, meetings or other work as they finalize calibration efforts.

Any questions can be sent to vicepresidentforoperations@sandiego.edu. You can also reach out to members of the Campus Space Study Steering Committee listed on the website.