University of Pittsburgh to manage lab space

The University of Pittsburgh has developed a system that helps it manage laboratory real estate.

The custom application, called iSpace, consists primarily of an Oracle database and stored procedures that pull data from an Aperture space-planning program, said Gwen Pechan, application development manager for the university. The iSpace application generates reports through an embedded reporting solution from Jinfonet Software called JReport.

The system monitors the square footage needed for research work.

“We can see a holistic view of who has what space by department and building so we can treat everyone fairly,” Pechan said. She said she expects the iSpace application to help the university reduce unnecessary real estate costs later. The university has not been able to quantify the system’s financial impact yet because it is still new, she added.

According to Jinfonet, the university will use JReport to review and coordinate the assignment, renovation and construction of research space and infrastructure within the university’s Schools of the Health Sciences.

Those schools include Medicine, Dental Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and the Graduate School of Public Health.

The university and its affiliates rank seventh nationally in National Institutes of Health funding among educational institutions, according to the university.