Students protection from the rain
The lack of covered areas & sidewalks on University Of South Florida campus to protect students from rain has been undeniably established in the report as not being a mere inconvenience, but a real problem that poses a danger to the safety and security of not only students but other members of the institution. Notably, persons with disabilities are at a higher risk of threat to their persons. As such, this warrants immediate measures to redress the prevailing issue. Therefore, measures that would adequately redress this problem include the building of roofed walkaways, the creation of a school weather indicator app, and the building of designated covered areas stops for students to seek cover during rain.
The creation of an app that accurately predicts weather is arguably one of the most feasible solutions to the problem. A study done by forecast between 2010 and 2017 reveals that weather forecasting apps have an average accuracy of 75%≪≫. Due to advancement in technology, there is also another forecast app developed in Kenya that boasts of 95 % accuracy, with low and affordable subscription fees. Such forecast technology if employed by the university to cater to its students, would go a long way into solving this problem. For instance, the app could alert the students of the possible weather for the day, and even suggest whether to employ protective gear like umbrellas or not. If tailored to the geographical location of the University of Florida and to meet the needs of the students by constantly offering updates through social media, the app would enable students to plan and tailor their movements accordingly, hence avoid the rain. As such, the creation of such a weather prediction app for its students would go a long way in redressing this issue.
The roofing of walkways is also another feasible solution to address the lack of covered sidewalks in the institution. Such roofed sidewalks have already been established in institutions like the University of Sussex, which was done by the company Skylight Repair≪≫. The benefits are undeniably numerous, as the roof walks not only provide cover during rain for the affected students but also their beautiful architectural designs add to the beautification of the landscape and structures of the institution. Additionally, the covered walkways would provide protection even from the harsh sun during the day, thus easing movement for even students with disabilities. Therefore, the building of the covered walkways would undeniably assist in solving the problem through the provision of protection of students from harsh elements like rain.
The building of designated covered areas stops would also assist in the eradication of this problem. The covered areas would work well if designated at various convenient stops like the intersection of walkways and sidewalks. Additionally, the covered areas stops should be numerous at regular intervals to avoid overcrowding and increase their accessibility. Therefore, when it rains, the students would only have to seek the shelter of the covered areas stops, instead of braving the rain. Admittedly, the stops would also provide destinations for students to meet, socialize, and even share ideas, hence enhancing their cohesiveness. As such, the creation of convenient covered areas stops would enable the protection of the students from rain.
As per the preceding, it is undeniable that the issue of lack of protection of students from rain would get solved through the roofing of sidewalks, the building of covered areas stops, and the creation of a weather forecast app tailored for the needs of the university. As illustrated above, the implementation of such solutions would additionally provide other advantages not previously foreseen. Notably, to improve the effectiveness of the weather forecast app, the app should contain an accurate indicator of the nearest shelters for students to run to during rain.