A year ago, I shared information with the Brown community on a pilot project to use existing anonymized data from University wireless networks to analyze the use of physical spaces at the School of Public Health. Given the successes at SPH, I write today to offer details on how we are expanding the project to other non-residential buildings across campus, reflecting upon the many ways the pilot has helped SPH optimize the use of its spaces to serve its community. 

 

Both the pilot project and its expansion come as part of the University's commitment to offer physical spaces that support the vital work Brown faculty, staff and students do every day. As the use of space across campus evolves over time, it's important that we work proactively to ensure our physical footprint effectively meets community needs, and that services provided in our facilities are aligned with the ways members of our community actually use available space.

Since Fall 2024, a team with representatives from the Office of the Provost, School of Public Health, Facilities and Campus Operations and Office of Information Technology has worked with a company called Lambent to estimate when spaces at SPH are being used and by how many people. Lambent, a highly regarded space planning firm, has been analyzing a limited subset of data already available through Brown's wireless access points to illustrate the volume and frequency of activity at SPH. In less than a year, insights on how classrooms, meeting spaces and workstation zones were being used has led to shifts in space use to better support the school's education and research goals.

 

A few examples: After data showed mismatches in class sizes and room reservations -- e.g., an auditorium being used for a class of five students, while a much smaller technology space was underused -- the school reconfigured an existing computer lab for use as a classroom to add space for small labs and breakouts. Separately, an analysis of newly renovated shared workspace configurations for Ph.D. students is helping to inform future projects. And leaders from SPH have used pilot insights to help identify the best days, times and locations to host academic events intended to welcome audiences of students, faculty and staff.

 

Leaders at SPH and in the school's academic departments have appreciated having the ability to use data from the project in concert with information on class schedules, current and upcoming research projects and surveys to inform conversations on managing spaces that are welcoming, useful and effective.

This fall, we have begun to expand the pilot to include most non-residential buildings on campus. Working with Lambent, we expect this to be a multi-year initiative aimed at documenting patterns of academic and administrative space occupancy. This in turn will help inform short- and longer-term improvements to Brown facilities and adjustments to the ways in which space is used to best support the work of faculty, staff and students. The initiative is being led jointly by the Office of Information Technology and Facilities and Campus Operations.

 

Our intent is that the information about occupancy patterns serves as one data point to inform complex decision-making around the use of space in meeting community needs. Space occupancy data is quantitative -- it tells us when and how many people use a space. But to make effective decisions about space design, services or repurposing, the data must be combined with qualitative input that considers user feedback, departmental needs and financial analysis. We will continue to partner with units across campus to ask for insights on their use of space as we work ultimately to understand how we can better use, design and deliver spaces that most effectively serve our students, faculty and staff.

It's important to emphasize that, as we conduct this initiative, individual privacy remains paramount. We are not collecting any new data -- and Lambent receives no data that includes any information on the identity of individuals. Rather, the project leverages a limited subset of anonymized data from Brown's existing wireless networks to correlate activity with space usage in a novel way, illustrating the volume and frequency of when spaces are being used and by how many people. This is data the University already collects, in alignment with Brown's Privacy Policy and Electronic Information Access Policy, as part of routine mechanisms to provide effective and secure wireless access across campus.

 

As was the case with the SPH pilot, Lambent's access is strictly limited to a fully anonymized subset of Brown's wireless network data. This data excludes all information about device types or owners. In accordance with the University's Privacy Policy, no personally identifiable information will be shared with Lambent or used in the initiative.

 

Below, please find a full set of FAQs that address many of the questions community members may have about the study.

 

We are excited to be able to take advantage of innovations in technology in ways that respect the privacy of our community while also supporting our goals to improve our campus spaces. We look forward to benefiting from the insights of this expanded project to sustain a campus environment that supports the continued growth and success of all of Brown's students, faculty and staff members.

 

Sincerely,

Francis J. Doyle III, Provost

 

The project's expansion follows a successful pilot at the School of Public Health that informed a number of shifts in space use to better support the school's education and research goals. It comes as part of the University's commitment to offer physical spaces that support the vital work Brown faculty, staff and students do every day. As the use of space across campus evolves over time, it's important that we work proactively to ensure our physical footprint effectively meets community needs, and that services provided in our facilities are aligned with the ways members of our community actually use available space.

With a few exceptions, the expanded project covers all non-residential buildings on campus, including those that host academic departments, administrative offices, classrooms, event spaces and more. No residence halls or auxiliary housing units will be included.

The information about occupancy patterns will serve as one data point to inform complex decision-making around the use of space in meeting community needs. Space occupancy data is quantitative -- it tells us when and how many people use a space. But to make effective decisions about space design, services or repurposing, the data must be combined with qualitative input that considers user feedback, departmental needs and financial analysis. We will continue to partner with units across campus to ask for insights on their use of space as we work ultimately to understand how we can better use, design and deliver spaces that most effectively serve our students, faculty and staff.

This project is focused on improving the use of space by members of our community and is not part of the Financial Health Initiative at Brown. Yet at a time when the University continues to contend with financial constraints related to both external and internal factors, insights from the study may be helpful as we continue to responsibly steward University resources. For example, understanding occupancy rates and patterns of space use might help our facilities teams align the services they provide -- everything from heating and cooling to snow shoveling to custodial work -- based on the ways members of our community actually use available space. We may find opportunities to fine-tune what services are needed where and when, meet community needs more effectively, and do so in ways that deploy resources thoughtfully and strategically.

No. The study exclusively uses data the University already collects. And the project leverages only a limited subset of anonymized data from Brown's existing wireless networks. This is data the University already collects, in alignment with Brown's Privacy Policy and Electronic Information Access Policy, as part of routine mechanisms to provide effective and secure wireless access across campus. Lambent receives no data that includes any information on the identity of individuals or about device types or owners. 

No. No personally identifiable information is provided to, processed by or stored by Lambent. Lambent's access is restricted to a fully anonymized subset of Brown's wireless network data. This data excludes all information about device types or owners, as the wireless network data is anonymized before it ever reaches the Lambent cloud. The study is being conducted in full accordance with the University's Privacy Policy and Electronic Information Access Policy.

Even as it receives no personally identifiable information from Brown, Lambent ensures that information security best practices, systems and controls are in place and that policy adherence is verified through formal audits. These protect against unauthorized access, disclosure or damage that might compromise data or system operation. Data is logically separated and encrypted in transit and at rest.

The only way to opt out is to forgo all use of Brown's wireless network. For example, in the case of a community member who chooses to exclusively use cellular network data for web access and does not connect any device to Brown's wireless network at any point, no data would be available for use in the study.

Brown's work with Lambent to analyze existing anonymized data from University wireless networks will continue through the summer of 2028.