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- The new campus app combines over 10 digital services into one platform for students
- New features include a crowd monitoring channel and a new user interface for bus tracking
- More functions will be added based on feedback gathered via the app, says SU President
By Clement Yue
Updated Feb 4, 2021
Students now have access to a new app that brings together bus timings, campus maps, live camera feed updates and other functions.
Named U-Wave, the app was launched last week by NTU Students’ Union (SU) in collaboration with app developers Wave as a collection of “all campus lifestyle needs in one place,” said SU President Bryan Chiew.
Among these features is a campus map that allows students to search for locations of lecture theatres, tutorial rooms, eateries and shops.
The live crowd monitoring feature shows real-time CCTV footage from the Centre for IT Services (CITS) of typically crowded areas, such as the North Spine Food Court and OneStop@SAC, so students can plan their trips more efficiently.
The U-Wave app also integrates a bus tracking service, which offers a brand-new user interface of the same services provided by apps like NTU GO! and NTU BusNow. Like these apps, U-Wave lets students track GPS positions of SBS Buses 179, 179A and 199 along with Campus Loop Shuttle Buses.
Users can also see arrival timings for the next three buses at any stop and available estimates of seats. At the bottom right of the home screen is a tab for the ‘Discussions’ page, which functions as an online marketplace and a space for students to seek advice from their peers.
U-Wave also combines other features like a class timetable, a personalised barcode for access to the Lee Wee Nam Library and a compilation of information on NTU services.
Wave founder Cedrik Lim, who has been working closely with SU in the development of the app, told Soapbox: “What inspired me to start this app is that there isn’t really a good app out there for students.”
“This is a powerful multipurpose app that can change the way you interact, and bring simplicity to students in school,” said the Mechanical Engineering graduate, who first built the software when he was still an NTU student.
Coming soon to the U-Wave app
SU has several updates in the works, including a portal for students to book campus facilities. Chiew said U-Wave will be improved as SU gathers feedback via the app and monitors the number of clicks received by each service on the app.
“There are a lot of updates to push and we will try to address these needs as quickly as possible,” said Chiew.
As of 21 October, the app has received over 6,000 total downloads, he added.
U-Wave is available for download on the App Store and Google Play Store.
Change log
Feb 10: This story was updated on Feb 4. It originally read that NTUSU launched that app, but uWave reached out to ask us to amend it to state “NTUSU launched the app in collaboration with app developers uWave”.
