Welcome! Academics and Events in One Database: How publishing event data from a single source can enhance communication, minimize risk and assist in disaster preparedness

Tammy Miller Business Analyst / Application Administrator University of Idaho

Opened in 1892 Research-based, public land grant institution Main campus in Moscow, Idaho plus three branch campuses 12,000 students, including grad students

Why store academic and special events together?

Lots of great reasons Single source for event data: – Basis for master calendar – Accurate space utilization analysis – Know where people are congregated on campus – Avoid double-booking classroom space – Automate building controls and signage

Academics integrated with Special Events in 2007

Environment Changes over Time Contracted for event scheduling software to be delivered via SaaS late 2009 Upgraded to new event scheduling tool that includes calendar publication Began creating event calendars for internal use: – Calendar for report production in RO – Calendar of smart rooms for Classroom technology group

2010 – The story behind this story

It was a busy summer…

I was on vacation…

And sleeping soundly when…

No chilled water was reaching the NOC

July 2, 2010July 2, 2010 in Idaho Pipe break floods UI building with 6 feet of water Damage in the ‘six-figure’ range Moscow-Pullman Daily News The University of Idaho’s J.A. Albertson Building is closed indefinitely after a nearby water line broke late Tuesday or early Wednesday and flooded the building’s electrical room with about 6 feet of water.Idaho

Meanwhile, in another city in another state An application server stops functioning and doesn’t fail-over The server is restarted But University of Idaho Citrix permissions are somehow lost And in the morning, no one is able to sign in to the Events application

Emergency + no data = very bad!

What can we do…?

We can leverage one of our new tools!

Location calendars can serve as a source for redundant data: Application servers separate from Publisher servers (distinct data sources) Immediate access to event data Data can be easily communicated (shared)

Constructing Location-based Calendars

View what is happening in one room, on one floor, or in the entire building:

Click on an event for details

Select from all or any events to report

Many options for data delivery!

The data is shareable:

Event detail in

Download event data to another calendar:

Key data elements in calendars that are critical to emergency response: Location Head count Event sponsor contact information

Key elements of calendars useful for emergency management: Quick access to relevant data No time consuming queries or reports to produce Multiple ways to communicate the data

Key elements of calendars useful for emergency management: Role in preparedness Role in response Role in recovery

Expanding on the available key data:

Add links to floor plans

Add links to calendars for other buildings in proximity

Event data flow and distribution:

What makes these calendars private? Events are unfiltered, everything published Building plans are sensitive data Web search for URL is not activated Distributed to select audience Option to protect with password

Issues with location calendars Data feeds are batched, not live Duplicate events occasionally created If event moves, old and new location listed Canceled reservations not always removed All campus events not accounted for

How were location calendars received?

Location calendar distribution: Registrar’s staff Building managers Building schedulers Landscape and Exterior Services Emergency and Security Services Facilities and Building Services

Academic and Special Events in one place Many reasons for taking this approach – the most compelling are: – Ability to analyze space utilization – Ability to communicate where people are congregated on campus at any time

Caveats Not all activities represented in event database Calendar data should be double-checked against a standard query or report run against the event data source Publishing calendars for emergency use might inspire you to become a first responder

Be Prepared!

Questions?

Tammy Miller Business Analyst / Application Administrator University of Idaho

Thank you!