PUBLIC SAFETY
SECURITY MOBILE APPLICATION FOR STUDENTS
INVID created a mobile app that allows students and faculty members to press a panic button when in danger around campus. The alert complies with the Jeanne Cleary Act and uses the phone’s GPS coordinates to send alerts to an Azure-hosted web server that displays the location of the incident. See how we did it!
The University of Puerto Rico at Humacao (UPRH) is a regional public institution located in the municipality of Humacao on the east coast of the island. It provides undergraduate and graduate education to over 3,500 students and employs 600 staff members.
SYNOPSIS
The federal Jeanne Cleary Act outlines the safety and security requirements schools must meet to receive federal financial aid programs. The Act specifies that institutions must issue timely warnings to students and staff when there is a dangerous situation on campus.
UPRH is in Puerto Rico, an economically depressed region where more than half of its students come from families living below the poverty line. As a result, the university holds an essential role on the island and takes pride in its academic success. Beyond ensuring student safety, a robust security policy can directly impact students in creating a safe environment that promotes learning and personal development.
THE CHALLENGE
When UPRH noticed a 64% increase in campus crime, the school realized they needed to update their security protocols and find a more accessible way for students and staff to alert for help. Because of this, they decided to improve security with new policies and technology.
Furthermore, UPRH wanted to improve compliance with federal campus security rules. However, the main drawback was the scale of the campus, covering over 62 acres. Therefore, students and staff didn’t have quick access to emergency exits and alert buttons.
BEFORE
In 1994, UPRH installed some security call boxes. In a dangerous situation, anyone can press an emergency button to call.
AFTER
Betting on innovation, UPRH decided to implement a customized version of our product Social Alert, called UPRH Alert, in its security plans.
THE SOLUTION
With UPRH Alert, users only needed to download the free app and press a button on their devices that would send an alert using the phone’s GPS coordinates to an Azure-hosted web server that displays the location of the incident. This allows security personnel to quickly dispatch an officer to assess the situation.
Due to the sensitive nature of the data transmitted through the UPRH Alert system—including details about students and potential criminal activity—the new alert system had to adhere to strict privacy standards. However, the university needed it to be affordable as well. UPRH Alert met both criteria by routing user notifications through a web server hosted on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, where the university would pay for computing resources only when it needs them.
With the system in place, the UPRH security team uses a monitoring portal that includes a dashboard built with Microsoft Azure SQL Database to generate statistical reports. Team members have found the app to be very intuitive to use and are pleased with the way it allows them to promptly respond to incidents. The officers now have tablets that enable them to monitor the portal from anywhere on campus and respond even more quickly. With UPRH Alert, the authorized users can also generate reports on types of crime, crime locations, and what sort of assistance was required, so they can visualize the data and fine-tune our procedures.
In addition to enabling security alerts, the app also provides UPRH with a new way to contact staff and students in case of an emergency or unexpected school closure, all while complying with the Jeanne Clery Act. Alongside traditional methods of reaching students, UPRH can now send direct and instant alerts to all app users from their monitoring dashboard.
IMPACT
FACTS
Cloud Solution
Building the solution in the cloud is much more cost-effective than an on-premises deployment because it pays for computing resources only when it needs them, and avoids the up-front cost of purchasing new servers.
Multiple Downloads
Within three months UPRH Social Alert had been downloaded more than 600 times.
Mass Notifications
Authorized personnel can alert students through mass notification services of an emergency they need to know about in compliance with the Jeanne Cleary Act.
Azure Benefits
UPRH will get more than ten years’ worth of Azure service for what it would have paid for an on-premises solution, and the university’s Office of Technology has verified that Azure helps comply with relevant regulations
TECHNOLOGIES
SUPPORTED DEVICES
Windows Phone
iOS
Android
TOOLS
Windows Phone
iOS
Android
TESTIMONIALS
“We wanted to have our own version of Social Alert in the UPR Humacao Campus. We wanted to have the security topic covered so we can focus on other matters. INVID made that possible within weeks.”
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