Ithaca, New York— The CBORD Group, Inc., the leading provider of campus card and integrated security solutions to colleges and universities, today announces the release of Pathlight™, a virtual safety escort solution giving students quick access to extra security resources from the convenience of their smartphones.
Smart Security for Pedestrians: Students, Others on Campus
Pathlight is a smartphone application for Apple® and Android® devices allowing students to opt in to GPS tracking services for their phones (e.g., while walking alone). The easy-to-use phone interface requires just three simple steps by the user:
1. Select a destination (Bailey Hall, 124 Main Street, etc.).
2. Select the expected walking trip duration (10 minutes, 15 minutes, etc.).
3. Select “Follow Me” to begin transmitting location information to campus dispatchers or security office personnel.
If more time is needed, students can easily update their expected arrival times. If a student feels in immediate danger at any time, a Help button immediately notifies dispatchers of the student’s location and need for immediate assistance.
Powerful Safety Aid: Tracking
Once transmission begins, dispatchers see icons for each student on a map with live tracking. The map shows the traveler and route taken. If a student requests help, does not meet his/her arrival time, or if one of several other criteria are met (sudden high travel speed, wrong direction, etc.), an alarm brings the student’s location and information to dispatchers’ immediate attention.
Better Information for Faster Responses
As a result of full integration with CBORD®’s CS Gold® campus card system, Pathlight provides greater situational awareness than a standalone GPS tracking solution. Location information for card usage and devices in CS Gold is correlated with the location information from Pathlight to provide further awareness, information, and alarm flexibility and accuracy. In addition to a student’s location, dispatchers have immediate access to the student’s ID card photo and contact information—and even nearby cameras where available.
“Pathlight improves service by making it easy for students to opt into a virtual safety escort at any time,” said Jason Rossi, Director of One Card and Campus Security Systems at the University of San Francisco. “It reduces costs because, instead of having our officers out all night doing personal escorts, they can be patrolling. Those freed-up resources add up to real cost savings. Finally, its discrete mobile format improves security by encouraging more students to opt into the virtual safety escort, and it helps us respond to any incidents with greater situational awareness. Our dispatchers can see exactly where the students are on a map, and they can derive from that which exterior cameras may have the right fields of view to give us even better information.”
“Pathlight is a great example of the benefits a fully integrated one-card solution brings to campus security,” said Max Steinhardt, President, The CBORD Group, Inc. “CS Gold’s rich data set of transactions, alarms, cameras, and more gives security personnel deeper insight into the incident in question, the parties involved, and the surrounding environment. This all adds up to quicker responses, more efficient investigations, and more satisfied students.”
About The CBORD Group, Inc.
The CBORD Group serves colleges and universities, healthcare facilities, corporations, senior living facilities, supermarkets, and a host of other market segments. CBORD's products are used in campus ID card privilege control, access control, integrated security, housing services, food service, catering, nutrition services, online ordering, and other institution-wide activities. Founded in 1975, The CBORD Group serves more than 6,000 clients in the U.S., Canada, Europe, South Africa, the Middle East, New Zealand, and Australia. To learn more about CBORD, visit www.cbord.com.
The CBORD Group, Inc. operates as a unit of Roper Industries, Inc., a diversified growth company and a constituent of the S&P 500, Fortune 1000, and the Russell 1000 indices. Roper provides engineered products and solutions for global niche markets, including water, energy, transportation, medical, education, and SaaS-based information networks.
About the University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco is located in the heart of one of the world’s most innovative and diverse cities and is home to a vibrant academic community of students and faculty who achieve excellence in their fields. Its diverse student body enjoys direct access to faculty, small classes, and outstanding opportunities in the city itself. USF is San Francisco's first university, and its Jesuit Catholic mission helps ignite a student’s passion for social justice and a desire to “Change the World from Here.” For more information, please visit www.usfca.edu.
