Campus Operations Blog

This article is authored on behalf of the Campus FM Technology Association (CFTA) by Jeff Ulricksen, CFTA President-Elect. Jeff is also the Assistant Director of Spatial Services at the University of Rhode Island. Contact the author if you would like to learn more about CFTA.

Higher education is undergoing a significant operational shift. Facilities organizations are being asked to do more - optimize space, modernize maintenance workflows, enhance safety, meet sustainability targets, and improve the campus experience - while navigating constrained budgets and sprawling, complex portfolios. The Campus FM Technology Association (CFTA) sits at the center of this transformation. CFTA connects campus practitioners, technologists, and industry partners to advance the effective use of technology in campus facilities and infrastructure management. For Esri users, CFTA offers a uniquely practical community to align GIS with core campus systems – turning spatial data into operational impact.

At Austin Community College  (ACC), our mission centers on supporting the well-being, growth, learning, and success of our students.

Every team across the district contributes to that mission—including our Facilities Information Systems (FIS) team, which helps students, employees, and visitors navigate ACC’s spaces with clear, accessible maps and signage.

Read this blog post on "Routing and Indoor Positioning Improve Pedestrian Wayfinding at Austin Community College"

Every November, the University of Massachusetts Amherst holds an evening community walk around campus to identify and document areas of improvements to safety using GIS technologies.

In 2024, Brown University partnered with Paratum Solutions to launch a comprehensive Geographic Information Systems (GIS) initiative that is quickly becoming one of the most dynamic and transformative campus GIS efforts in higher education. This collaboration, built on a foundation of strategy, speed, and responsiveness, transformed a decades-old vision into a modern, scalable GIS platform used across multiple departments at Brown.

Watch the webinar to learn how The Henry Ford is using Esri technology and ArcGIS Indoors to become a smart campus. See how geospatial tools like lidar, 3D BIM, and drone mapping are transforming facility management and visitor engagement. You’ll gain insights for modernizing your own campus or institution with GIS.

We're exploring ways to improve data quality tools in ArcGIS Online - please take our short survey. 

Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) took a small, measured approach to implementing ArcGIS Indoors and, in turn, got a headstart on complying with new Maryland state regulations, a working Indoor GIS system, and a trusted partner. 

This post highlights the phases of their project, the outcomes and how they're moving forward. 

Learn about trainings offered by Esri Academy to start learning about indoor GIS and ArcGIS Indoors as well as how to implement it within your college campus.

You only get one chance to make a good first impression - and a university’s online map can make or break how GIS is valued on campus. An easy to use, aesthetically pleasing, and informative map not only enhances the campus experience for visitors, students, faculty, and staff, it inspires our leaders to reimagine how GIS can improve university operations.

The University of Texas (UT) at Austin teamed up with Austin Community College to upgrade the online interactive UT Campus Map with the help of GIS interns.

ArcGIS Solutions offers a powerful set of tools designed specifically for your industry, helping you meet your organization’s unique needs. By tapping into your trusted data, these solutions can streamline operations, uncover insights, and boost the value of your location-based tech.

Here are four common ArcGIS Solutions to improve campus safety at college campuses.