GIS team discusses 2026 roadmap, updates to the U’s most accessed maps

UIT’s geographic information system (GIS) team in USS Partner Consulting Services is quietly powering some of the most widely used digital tools on campus — Campus Map, My Class Map, and UPark specifically — and they’ve been busy. With new team roles and refreshed technology, the group continues to position itself as a central partner for campus services that rely on geospatial data and interactive mapping.

One of the most significant changes is a new GIS project roadmap, below, that tracks upgrades and revisions across a roughly yearlong time frame, detailing what’s complete, what’s in progress, and what lies ahead for wayfinding applications it develops, servers it hosts, and data it manages. This dual role — application development and maintenance of enterprise GIS infrastructure — tends to make the team’s efforts a little under-the-radar, despite its core business partners including an array of campus entities like Facilities Management, the U Department of Public Safety, University Marketing & Communications (UMC), Auxiliary Services, and U Athletics.

“The goal is not only to improve internal clarity, but also to better communicate what the team offers,” said Gary Carter, director for USS Product  Management, Finance & Auxiliary, and GIS.

2026 roadmap

Here are additional high-level updates on two applications that U students and employees frequently use:

Campus Map

Campus Map, owned by UMC, remains the team’s largest and most-accessed platform.

Current work includes:

• Performance boosts and regular system updates
• New historical and cultural tours, including Indigenous spaces
• An upcoming sustainability tour, created in partnership with the Office for Sustainability Education
• Visual refinements that align with university branding

New tours won’t appear directly as map layers, according to Keegan Spencer, GIS technical product manager; instead, users will be able to launch guided experiences from the platform.

Spencer said one of the soon-to-be-visible updates  will be a Campus Map interface designed specifically for digital signage around campus. The app is done, he said — the team is just waiting for firewall adjustments on physical devices. Features will include full touchscreen functionality; a searchable building and service directory; information on restaurants, gender-neutral restrooms, and lactation rooms; and a dedicated accessibility menu designed so wheelchair users can access the interface’s interactive features.

“We’ve had a pretty large accessibility push on all our public-facing applications,” Spencer said.

My Class Map

UIT’s GIS team has been working extensively on modernizing My Class Map, an app designed to help students locate their classrooms.

Updates include:

• Transitioning to a React-based framework for better performance and maintainability. React is a popular open-source JavaScript library used for building reusable user interface (UI) components for web applications that Spencer said is fast, simple, and pairs well with the ArcGIS API for JavaScript.
• Improvements to authentication stability.
• Resolving long-standing login instability issues.
• Significant code and infrastructure modernization.

While the improvements are largely invisible to users, the payoff will be speed and reliability.

“Down the line,” Spencer added, “we’re excited about features like indoor wayfinding (guiding students directly to specific classrooms), thanks to new building interior models. It’s not ready yet data-wise, but it’s coming.”

As for accessibility, the team has been using  Axe Monitor, one of the university’s accessibility auditing tools, to scan and improve the accessibility of its applications. Efforts include improving screen reader navigation and ensuring compliance with federal requirements.

From indoor wayfinding and sustainability tours to authentication upgrades and enterprise hosting, the GIS team is laying the groundwork for a more connected, intuitive, and navigable campus — digitally and physically.

“We want to ensure the campus community understands both the scope and the value of what we’re building and continue expanding collaboration in the years ahead,” Carter said.

 

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