INSITE has recently started a new campus initiative in collaboration with the University of Arizona’s Information Technology Services (UITS).

The project, titled "UA Smart Campus" will use a data-driven discovery approach to understand the dynamics of UA's campus. The project will result in a better understanding of how various campus resources are used based on student and staff spatial movement and temporal behavior. The ultimate goal of the project including helping UA improve student retention and management of support services on campus. 

INSITE will be data mining CatCard* usage and WiFi access logs that include transactional usage of computer labs, Student Union services, dorms, and recreational facilities on UA campus.

The project will combine CatCard data with student records, and potentially social media data such as Twitter and Facebook, to understand patterns of student behavior and campus engagement. This in turn will be used to provide an insight into student retention. The project will also result in a number of spatial and temporal visualizations of big data from these sources.

* CatCard is the official University of Arizona identification card. The card features a digitized photo, digitized signature, Contactless SmartChip, ISO number, and magnetic stripe. Students, faculty, and staff decide how they want to use their cards.