From CampusBird Blog
The University of Findlay has launched a new interactive online map that radically changes the way students and other university members view, experience and navigate around campus. The digital platform ties together parts of the school that previously were not able to be included, allows for customized print maps that are personalized right down to an individual’s exact needs, and solves what had been “a pain point for many people across campus for some time now,” according to Rebecca Jenkins, Director of Marketing and Communication at The University of Findlay.
The new map, based on concept3D’s CampusBird digital mapping platform, includes 360-degree panoramic views, stunning photographs, detailed descriptions of buildings and venues, virtual student tours, and customized directions to specific campus locations. Built on top of Google Maps, the technology allows for zooming and panning and is viewable online and via smartphone.
One of the key benefits of the map is its ability to include numerous offsite facilities and the nearly 150 smaller houses that were added to campus over time as the university expanded from its original approximately 28 acres to its current size of 394 acres. This mapping inclusion allows students, visitors and others to easily view and travel to the houses, which are being used for on-campus housing, faculty and staff offices, and even as homes that are rented out to individuals.
“A more traditional print map never worked for us because so many of our facilities are just outside the bounds of a regular map, and CampusBird has fixed the pain points that we were not able to fix in the past,” Jenkins said. “Students need to be able to meet with different faculty who have their offices in the ‘little white houses’ previously not on our map. Whether it’s the Japanese Program or English faculty, we needed a map that lets us drop a pin on what looks like a regular house, and mark what is there. CampusBird gives us that functionality.”
Another important benefit of the map lies in the PrintMap feature, where users can select the items that they are most relevant to them. For example, when international students arrive on campus for the first time, sometimes in the middle of the night, the International Admissions Office can create a print map specifically for them that shows only the items they need to know. This makes for a smoother, more informative and less stressful arrival on campus.
This dynamic capability extends throughout the other aspects of the map. During the major department-specific visit days, the Admissions Office now has the ability to change pins on the map specifically for these events. They can change the labels on buildings parking lots and venues to match whatever event is happening. And, they can create topic-specific tours for recruitment events.
The new map also conveys information through stunning panoramic tours, which launch when a user clicks on a building on the map. Users can see sharp details of each structure along with its relative location to other spaces.
“We have a really beautiful campus, and the panoramas help us show that in ways that traditional photos don’t,” Jenkins said. “This map also acts as a marketing tool by allowing us to show that that we are a large campus with plenty of green space.”
In fact, Jenkins says, the new map is as much a marketing tool as it is a directional tool. Although the campus is situated in northwest Ohio, the university pulls its 4,000-member student body from all over the country and internationally. The digital map helps the school highlight the high-end programs it is known for, including Pre-Veterinary Medicine, Equestrian Riding, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Environmental Science, along with their facilities, many of which are offsite and weren’t represented on the previous map.
“We are a school that is known for providing a personalized education and being personally connected with our students,” Jenkins said. “The new map allows us to create a customized map for these individuals—highlighting the things they care about and the world that matters to them. The map is true to who we are in that way.”
To view The University of Findlay’s interactive map, please visit campusmap.findlay.edu.
