(KATV, Source: UofA) Fayetteville - It's
never been easier to find campus landmarks and get directions at the University
of Arkansas thanks to a new digital version of the campus map that is intuitive
and easy to use. The new application, campusmaps.uark.edu,
is integrated with Google Maps, the industry-leading mapping interface.
"The number of students and
visitors who access information through their mobile devices continues to
increase, so the new map will be much more convenient and useful for
them," said Chris Nixon, director of digital design and development in the
office of university relations. "We tried to make everything on campus
searchable and shareable so finding buildings or specific locations will be as
easy as possible."
For example, a user's cell phone can
find the location of the user on the mobile version of the map through GPS
technology.
Other features include:
- Pop up windows that provide information about
each building on the map, including the address, and which allow that
information to be emailed or shared on Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus.
- A way point system that identifies the best
walking route between two locations on campus.
- Bus routes and parking lots listed by color.
- Lists of bicycle racks, motorcycle/scooter
parking, public art, historical markers, handicap accessible points, emergency
phone boxes, dining locations and computer labs.
- An intuitive search for buildings and other
points of interest that auto-suggests possible locations.
- A comprehensive listing of buildings along with
their four-character campus codes.
"While the new map is a vast
improvement over the previous static version, it's only the beginning of what
we can do," said Nixon. "This is really just the foundation on which we plan to
build additional features that will make navigating the campus even easier in
the future."
Other planned features include
real-time tracking on the map of buses, allowing patrons to know when the next
bus will arrive at a particular stop; handicap accessible routes from parking
to buildings; a Senior Walk lookup; the ability to place a map on any web site;
and the ability to show routes for the university's yearly move-in project.
The new campus map replaces a static
site that was implemented in 2006.
Digital design and development, a
department of the office of university relations responsible for the creation
and maintenance of all university technology-based communications, partnered
with the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies, the department of facilities
management, the office of educational access and the department of transit and
parking to complete the campus map project.
Follow the University of Arkansas on Twitter @uarkansas
