Digital Signage at UBC
The UBC Digital Signage project provides a central resource for units across the university who administer digital signs. Under the direction of UBC IT and Communications & Marketing, the digital signage network provides the visual and technical architecture required to share diverse messaging consistently and efficiently across the university from a central source. This integrated system provides the functional capacity to deliver campus updates and emergency information.
The glossary defines terms used throughout the guidelines.
Background
With the procurement of a large outdoor digital sign at Wesbrook and University Boulevard and the expanding need to manage content displayed on emerging campus digital signs, three campus units partnered to meet the challenge. UBC Public Affairs, UBC IT – AV Group (formerly UBC Media Group) and UBC IT worked together to develop the content and guidelines, management software and technical infrastructure required to support the delivery of digital content. As the initial digital signage pilot concluded, it became clear that digital signage is a powerful communications opportunity for the university that is only expanding with the accelerated procurement of digital screens across both administrative and academic units. At its core, digital signage represents an exciting new UBC channel for communication with the UBC community.
Purpose
Digital signage is a high profile electronic tool that provides an unparalleled communication opportunity to engage our audiences and promote the university’s mission and services. Digital signage is an easily accessible resource for announcements, news, student activities, videos, community-generated content and events, as well as critical campus updates such as weather advisories and emergency information.
Program Objectives
- Provide university-wide leadership for technical, design and communication strategies related to digital signage
- Embrace opportunities to innovate, adopt best practices and deliver engaging digital signage
- Provide digital communication opportunities for UBC students, faculty, staff and the community
- Develop the skills of UBC content creators and content managers by providing technical support, information tools, templates and training
- Publish standards for digital signage to guide the design decisions of content creators
- Elevate the profile of UBC Brand institutional content by providing assets to the UBC Community
Mandate
Digital Signage in public areas of campus buildings provides another opportunity to communicate with UBC students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors. What is communicated, and how it is communicated, must reflect the university’s status as a Tier One globally influential institution.
In addition to event, program and news content for signs, there needs to be a means to display institution-wide messaging, including emergency information, that is provided to each sign from a central source.
At the same time, communication via digital signage must occur in the most cost-effective manner, which requires that all signs be on a common network with common software protocols and an ability to share content with other signs on that network.
To achieve these ends requires a standardization of the technical platform and manner in which information is presented is required to achieve these ends..
In reviewing this issue, the UBC Executive has determined that the following principles will be in place for all digital signage:
- All digital signs be linked to the CoolSign software on the UBC network
- All digital signs be programmed to accept emergency information via the network
- All digital signs use visual templates provided by the university or to an equivalent standard as agreed by the Digital Signage Governance Committee
- All digital signs will display, for a prescribed minimal amount of time per hour, information of institution-wide interest that will be provided to the local sign operator by the university for scheduling as appropriate to the overall contents flow on local screens
- Until such time as a Digital Advertising Policy is completed, no advertising will appear on digital signs without the express permission of the Digital Signage Governance Naming Committee