Applications of GIS Technology in a Sustainable University Campus Design, a Case Study from the University of Jordan

This chapter aims to highlight the role of GIS technology as an efficient tool in the urban design of the university campus. A university campus is an extended place that may be connected to the city and maybe a separate urban gathering if the university is built in a rural area. The university campus is not only what we see with our eyes, but it is the place that creates memory and knowledge Therefore, it is mainly intellectual assemblies before it is visual composition. It is used by a large group of students, employees, visitors, service providers, and academics. Campus Planning involves the experience and goals of the target groups and the talent and expertise of the architect in addressing the long-range needs of schools. Many schools face the same restraints as commercial development projects, and indeed the history of campus design and town design has many parallels. In addition, schools have complex functional requirements that are often not well solved by monolithic institutional buildings. The space between the buildings is as significant as the buildings themselves. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to build a geo-database to understand, analyze and predict how the campus will look in all its details and functions. The Study chooses the University of Jordan as a case study area. It is the first university constituted in Jordan and ranked as the best university. It is located in Amman the capital of Jordan with more than 45000 student. The study used ArcGIS software and Corrected Satellite Image of the district of the University of Jordan Accordingly, we will be able then to design and create a new master plan for the campus. This geo-database contains spatial and attribute data necessary for a good design. Additionally, it will be useful in the future since updating this geo-database is easy in GIS software. In addition, the geodatabase could be used as an interactive map for the students, visitors, and vendors of the university. Architects and Planners can participate in the students’ attitudes and ideas about the recent and future design of the campus as well as all target groups; to be more realistic in their designs. The study recommends other thirty Jordanian universities to apply the technology of GIS and to make an updated Geo-database plans.