A new app uses anonymous wireless internet data to give members of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute community a real-time look at population densities across campus. The app was designed to help students find safe study spots during the COVID-19 pandemic.

StudySafe shows the current percent capacity of any building or facility on campus, as well as offering projections based on three weeks of data and predictive algorithms. Users can explore the data in several ways, including by selecting certain days, times, or locations, and through interactive campus maps.

The app is based on data collected from more than 1,300 access points collected twice an hour, and the StudySafe app updates its analysis every two hours. All data is anonymous.

The app is one of several COVID-19 related projects conducted by the Rensselaer Institute for Data Exploration and Applications (IDEA) DATA INCITE program during the 2020 summer and fall semesters. Work has continued on StudySafe during 2021.

Data analysis and visualizations were created by IDEA students and staff. Development of StudySafe was overseen by Kristin P. Bennett, professor of applied mathematics and associate director of IDEA, and John S. Erickson, the IDEA director of research operations, and work was partially funded by a grant from the United Health Foundation.