The University of Silesia will launch a new wayfinding application developed by Abakus to facilitate outdoor and indoor navigation throughout the campus in general, and in particular for people with disabilities, improving the user experience for students, staff and visitors alike.
Founded in 1968, the University of Silesia, based in Katowice, Poland, is renowned as a modern, thriving academic hub, shaping the future of thousands of students every year. With almost 30,000 students, 8 faculties, and multiple buildings sprawled across several campuses, it’s a lively epicenter of academic pursuit and community engagement.
Navigating such a vast campus can pose challenges for students, staff and visitors alike, particularly for newcomers, and especially for those with any type of disability. This is where the partnership between Situm and Abakus, a provider of advanced technology solutions, comes into play.
An indoor/outdoor wayfinding app to improve students, staff, and visitor experience
The university’s new wayfinding solution will be powered by Situm’s high-precision positioning technology and in collaboration with Abakus, a leading provider of digital innovation. The app represents a significant leap forward in the use of digital technology to enhance the university experience.
The wayfinding app will be unique in its ability to guide users from their current location to their desired destination, whether it’s outdoor university grounds or inside one of the university’s many buildings. It includes features like real-time location updates, optimized route suggestions, points of interest, and user-friendly search functionality.
“By partnering with Situm, we’ve managed to create a solution that not only facilitates ease of movement but also provides an intuitive, user-friendly interface that anyone can use.” said Mariusz Pancerz, Abakus Technology Manager.
In addition, the app goes beyond just navigation to provide users with relevant information about the different locations and facilities on campus, enhancing their understanding and appreciation of the University of Silesia. This feature transforms the tool into a mobile information hub, broadening its usability and appeal.
An application for a PRM friendly campus
In this EU co-funded project, the adaptation of the app for people with special needs is a priority. This cutting-edge tool is set to revolutionize the way they move around campus, making it easier to locate lecture halls, libraries, cafeterias, and offices. It is expected to increase safety while moving around campus as well as reduce the time and stress associated with finding one’s way around a large and complex university environment.
In this way, the system will make it possible to provide suitable routes for the users, as well as voice directions for people with visual disabilities.
A full featured platform for easy integration and implementation
Abakus, known for its expertise in delivering digital transformation solutions, plays an instrumental role in the technology selection and the design and development of the app.
“Situm’s selection as the navigation system provider is not only a consequence of its robustness and accuracy.” saids Mariusz. “The ease of implementation of the system thanks to the minimal infrastructure required (a limited number of beacons) and the tools for integrating navigation into the app have also been decisive.”
Their expertise in crafting user-friendly digital solutions perfectly complements Situm’s advanced navigation technology and will culminate in a tool that will be both powerful and simple to use.