MOCHA: Mobile Check-in Application for University Campuses Beyond COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Users and operators of shared spaces must ensure safety in such areas to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Although each organization has operated a variety of safety-related systems, including contact tracing, congestion monitoring, and check-in services, it is unclear what elements, such as privacy protection level, benefits, and permission procedures, have promoted the usage of these systems. In this study, we created MOCHA, a platform for sharing and tracking room-level locations. This platform automatically detects visited places by scanning Bluetooth beacons in each room using smartphones and shares location data according to predefined user settings. The collected data is used for room-level contact tracing, congestion monitoring, and reservation services. According to >6,500 users' usage data for a year in a university, outlining the advantages of utilizing the app encouraged people to install the app, and reinforced connections in small private groups are encouraged to use the app continuously. © 2022 ACM.