Thirty-six Christie® MicroTiles® are impressing dignitaries and staff with bright and vibrant images at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs. The school is an interdisciplinary academic center focusing on global issues and has hosted prime ministers, cabinet ministers and ambassadors.

Installed in the front wall of the Vivian and David Campbell conference facility, the 6 units wide by 6 units high Christie MicroTiles array displays Blu-ray videos, still images and PowerPoint presentations for foreign and domestic officials who present their research findings at the facility.

“We were upgrading our technology and wanted not only the newest and the best – but also something very functional,” said Sean Willett, IT manager for the school. “We have dignitaries from around the world visit so the technology not only has to be top of the line; it has to look and feel impressive. It made sense to use Christie MicroTiles because they really show off their flexibility and image quality for what we need.”

Willett said the center also wanted an aesthetically pleasing display in the customized architectural space that previously housed an older video wall.

Universities are rapidly adopting digital signage networks as an important communication tool. As Platt Retail Institute’s (PRI) Research Report entitled “Communication Effectiveness in Higher Education” illustrates, digital communication networks (DCNs) are a viable alternative to various older forms of on-campus communication. Yet little research has been conducted  that quantifies the value derived by a school from this investment.

In light of the need by universities to justify these expenditures, PRI has developed a research methodology to quantify the value derived from a university’s investment in a DCN. From the results of our test, universities will have greater insight into knowing who is, in fact, looking at their DCN messages, and the impact achieved. PRI has secured the participation of twenty major U.S. institutions in this research. Field testing will begin in the summer of 2012, with an anticipated release of the Working Paper’s findings by year-end.

Specific benefits for a school from this research will include:

•    Quantify the value derived from an investment in a DCN generally, and from specific applications.
•    Enhance targeting of messages.