Universities and the Importance of Custom Digital Signage Apps

Universities today face an array of communication and operational challenges, from keeping sprawling student bodies informed to maintaining campus safety in an era of rising threats. One tool that has quickly become indispensable to higher education is digital signage software, which provides real-time announcements, interactive displays, and campus-wide notifications. Yet, digital signage is no longer limited to displaying simple slides or scrolling text. Modern universities increasingly rely on DevOps-powered tools to develop custom applications that deliver unparalleled flexibility, responsiveness, and impact.

Why Custom Applications Are Crucial

Every institution has unique workflows that can’t always be met by off-the-shelf solutions. A school of engineering may want to showcase real-time energy consumption data, while a liberal arts college might prefer rotating displays of upcoming guest lectures. TelemetryTV’s digital signage software stands out by allowing developers and IT teams to build custom apps that integrate with existing campus systems, from class scheduling to campus security.

For instance, imagine an app that taps directly into the university’s scheduling and automatically updates building-specific timetables on nearby screens.

Or consider a digital signage feed that surfaces a live Twitter feed of student events and hashtags, moderated through an administrative interface.

By crafting these specialized applications, campus teams ensure their digital signage meets precise needs—an especially valuable capability for large or complex institutions with diverse audiences.

DevOps Integration for Rapid Updates

Traditionally, building and deploying custom software for digital signage was a cumbersome process, requiring manual updates and interrupting service whenever changes were made. That’s where TelemetryTV’s DevOps integration can transform campus operations. Teams can develop an application locally, push it to a Git repository (such as GitHub), and rely on continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines to deploy those updates to screens automatically.

This workflow is especially powerful in academic environments where requirements change frequently—new campus alerts, updated exam schedules, or real-time COVID-19 updates. By adopting a DevOps-based approach, universities minimize downtime, roll out new features faster, and reduce administrative overhead.

For example, an application displaying dynamic wait times in student health clinics can be redeployed continuously as new requirements arise.

Improving Operational Efficiency

Custom apps aren’t solely about aesthetics or innovation; they also translate directly to improved operational efficiency.

Consider the standard process of distributing announcements across a university campus:

• Department heads send emails.

• Staff manually create digital posters.

• IT personnel schedule them in a content management system.

With a customized digital signage application, administrators can automate much of this workflow.

For instance, a custom content feed pulling from the university’s events calendar or student information system can display time-sensitive announcements in targeted locations—like the student union, library, or dining hall—without requiring separate steps to import and format the data.

Additionally, administrators can segment displays so that each building or department shows content relevant to those spaces.

CAP Alerts: A Swift Response to Emergencies

Of all the benefits that custom digital signage applications offer, few are as critical as emergency notifications. In urgent situations—like an active security threat, severe weather, or localized building issue—time is of the essence.

Enter the Common Alerting Protocol, a standardized system for transmitting emergency alerts that can be integrated directly into campus signage.

TelemetryTV’s digital signage software supports CAP triggers and overrides, allowing to take over displays within seconds of an alert being issued.

As soon as an authorized authority issues a CAP message—whether it’s a severe weather warning or a security lockdown—every connected screen can display the alert.

Beyond Campus Safety: Additional Custom App Use Cases

While emergency notifications are paramount, CAP emergency alerts also have broader uses.

• Custom overrides can communicate less urgent but still important campus updates—think building closures, fire drills, special events, or even last-minute classroom changes.

• A department can trigger a screen override to let everyone in a specific building know that a conference is underway.

• Digital signage can bring attention to public health reminders, such as seasonal flu shot clinics or new campus health guidelines.

By tapping into official data feeds or distributing authorized messages from administrative offices, signage becomes a flexible, real-time medium.

The result is a campus that is consistently well-informed, without drowning in disjointed emails.

Interactive Digital Kiosks: The Power of Engagement

In addition to standard display screens, many universities now deploy digital kiosks—touch-enabled displays that foster two-way communication with students and visitors.

For example, an interactive kiosk might:

• Guide prospective students through a virtual tour of extracurricular clubs.

• Prompt students to enter email addresses to receive updates.

• Display an overview of upcoming campus events.

But interactivity doesn’t have to be limited to recruitment.

Building a More Dynamic Campus

Ultimately, digital signage and kiosks that incorporate custom applications serve as a unifying layer across an institution’s many communication needs. From academic updates and emergency alerts to event promotion and interactive student services, these screens extend far beyond static announcements.

They become dynamic portals that connect students, faculty, and visitors to the lifeblood of the campus.

Conclusion and Next Steps

As higher education modernizes, demand for flexible and secure communication tools will only grow. Universities must be agile enough to adapt not only to daily scheduling changes but also to evolving safety protocols and new student engagement strategies.

Custom apps built on robust digital signage software are uniquely positioned to meet these demands, offering DevOps-driven deployment, real-time data integration, and interactive functionality.