News Flash! Oklahoma St. University, Columbus Tech replace bulletin boards with digital signage

Oklahoma St. University, Columbus Tech replace bulletin boards with digital signage.

• 27 Oct 2008
SAN JOSE, Calif. — DT Research Inc. and XRiver Technologies, a major distributor of WebDT products, announced that Columbus Technical College and Oklahoma State University have deployed the WebDT Signage System.

The two institutions now use digital signs in place of most static bulletin boards, which serve as information terminals for students, faculty and staff. By using the WebDT Signage System, both schools can update content on multiple signs from one location — providing up-to-the-minute information about campus events, special classes, faculty appointments, research, weather and news.

The WebDT digital signs are placed at major junctions throughout the Columbus Technical College campus in Columbus, Ga. The signs are used to broadcast live news feeds along with weather and other general college announcements to students and faculty throughout the day. In addition, an UrgentCast feature allows the college to immediately broadcast emergency information across the campus. The college previously used low-end personal computers hooked up to television screens to disseminate information to students. But the PCs did not provide the ability to dynamically update content and could not support streaming video and news feeds.

“We were impressed with the different types of media that the WebDT Signage System supports,” said Chris Graves, audio visual specialist at Columbus Technical College. “With the WebDT system’s zoning capability, we’re able to push different types of content into each zone — from streaming media to flash to weather/news tickers. We also found the UrgentCast feature to be particularly valuable. We can quickly override content on all screens to broadcast alerts across campus in cases of emergencies.”

Oklahoma State University, with a main campus in Stillwater, uses the WebDT Signage System as an interactive directory for students and faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences. The installed screens include the infrared touch option, which allows students to interact with the sign, quickly locate faculty and administration offices and connect to the college’s Web site. The Oklahoma State University Department of Zoology is one of 24 departments in the College of Arts and Sciences and is also currently utilizing a screen to showcase faculty research efforts. The college hopes to expand to other departments in the future.

“The College of Arts and Sciences’ dean has always been tech-oriented so we wanted to utilize technology to change what used to be such static boards for directories,” said Norma Earp, technology manager at Oklahoma State University, College of Arts and Sciences. “We needed a system that is low maintenance, does not require heavy staff resource and can be expanded easily. The WebDT Signage System offered just that with its ease of use and fast installation.”
“Columbus Technical College and Oklahoma State University are great examples of how digital signage technology can quickly and cost-effectively communicate to a wide audience,” said Ed Maddox, president of XRiver Technologies.