The function of the Regulated Parking Space Governance System (SGPR) is not limited to controlling where vehicles park, it is the answer to problems that citizens and public administrators experience on a daily basis: improperly occupied spaces, lack of rotation… a disorder that affects mobility and coexistence.
The SGPR is a strategic tool whose purpose is to manage public space and ensure that each reserved space is used in accordance with current regulations. This reduces conflicts, long search times and emissions resulting from the unnecessary circulation of vehicles that cannot find a space. Also, by generating accurate data, it makes it easier for administrations to make informed decisions for urban planning.
Differences between control, monitoring and governance
1. Traditional control
The traditional model is based on manual verification and sanctioning, usually through agents who check vehicle by vehicle for compliance. It is a passive supervision that has certain limitations: inability to adapt quickly to possible changes, lack of prioritization and lack of structured evidence to analyze patterns or improve planning.
Occupancy monitoring
It uses sensors or intelligent cameras to detect the presence of vehicles and communicate in real time whether a space is free or occupied. It provides useful information on availability, but does not manage. It does not usually apply complex rules, such as distinguishing between authorized and unauthorized users, nor does it provide for temporary exceptions. The data is indicative, but not necessarily actionable.
Active governance of regulated vacancies
The SGPR integrates control and monitoring, and adds dynamic rule management and traceability. It is able to detect occupancy, as well as prioritize certain uses and adapt to specific needs and schedules. To do so, it combines hardware and software with municipal policies to make real-time decisions and generate useful data for incident tracking.
| Active governance | Automatic or assisted decisions according to defined rules |
| Dynamic rules | Schedules, priorities, temporary permits, exceptions. |
| Traceability | Complete record of incidents, authorizations and changes. |
| Data for planning | Historical metrics and evidence for improving urban policies. |
Functional scope of a RPMS
To meet governance objectives, a PRMS must take into account both the types of sites it manages and the minimum functionalities for controlled use.
1. Types of vacancies
A common mistake is to treat all parking spaces as if they were the same. Unlike ORA spaces, which can be managed in a uniform manner, sensitive spaces, due to their social function or their operational impact, are linked to specific conditions of use that require differentiated management and adapted operational rules.
PRM (Persons with Reduced Mobility)
In these cases, the problem is not only operational, it is human. When a space reserved for people with reduced mobility is occupied improperly, an infraction is committed, as well as an exclusion by limiting the autonomy of another person.
To ensure the availability of these spaces, PRM space control systems are used with sensors capable of detecting occupancy and verifying authorizations so that only authorized vehicles can park. A successful example is the deployment of Urbiotica in Valencia. Given their importance in terms of inclusion, the spaces require special attention in terms of traceability and regulatory compliance.
Loading and unloading spaces
Conflict often arises between delivery drivers who must adhere to strict schedules and private vehicles that “only stop for a moment”. Digital loading and unloading management organizes the availability of these spaces according to business hours and delivery flows to avoid conflicts with private vehicles that may interfere with logistics operations.
A PRMS can record data on occupancy, dwell times and recurrence of incidents to improve the efficiency of delivery in the city. For example, Urbiotica’s sensors in Castellón made it possible to control these spaces thanks to real-time alerts.
Reserved areas
They include parking spaces for emergencies, municipal services, residents or specific events, usually linked to rigid regulations in cities that change every week. A SGPR allows defining rules of use with specific schedules and permits, as well as dynamically adjusting access regulations depending on the situation: construction work, public events, exceptional situations, etc.
Minimum functionalities
A RPMS must differentiate between three functional layers: detection, verification and management.
Occupancy detection
Capture real-time information on the availability of each plaza through sensors, cameras or hybrid systems, depending on the requirements of the environment and the needs of the project. Reliability is key for subsequent verification and management.
Verification of authorized use
It is able to distinguish between legitimate occupations and improper occupations, providing the basis for decision making and informing to act accordingly. This layer is key to ensuring regulatory compliance and accessibility.
Temporary rule management
It defines and applies schedules, usage priorities and temporary permits, as well as adapting the rules to special situations such as construction work or regulatory changes. This layer allows dynamic control of the parking spaces integrated in the system.
Guided to the parking lot
Technical architecture of the SGPR
An SGPR system combines hardware, software and interoperability for greater accuracy in the management of regulated plazas. It seeks to solve problems, not add complexity.
Hardware
Detection sensors
Sensors detect the presence or absence of vehicles in regulated plazas. Sensor type selection depends on the environment (pavement, vibrations, interferences, etc.), climatic conditions, accuracy requirements and available installation budget.
| Technical requirements | Detection rate ≥ 98% under normal conditions. Refresh time ≤ 10 seconds. Lifetime of at least 10 years with minimal maintenance. Remote calibration or auto-tuning. |
Detection cameras
The cameras can monitor several places from a single point and control both entrances and exits in delimited areas. Ideally, they should have cloud processing to benefit from a much longer lifetime: 10 years of autonomy. Configurable detection thresholds (object size, dwell time, etc.) are essential to adapt to the environment.
Feeding
Autonomous battery power is recommended to ensure operational continuity without relying on the power grid, reduce civil works and facilitate deployments in urban areas with restrictions.
| Technical requirements | Minimum autonomy of 10 years for the sensors. Remote monitoring of battery status (charge level, voltage and temperature). Automatic alerts for low battery level or anomalies. Robust design against vandalism and environmental conditions. |
Communications
The communications layer must provide reliable connectivity, low power consumption and good coverage. The most common technologies are LoRaWAN and NB-IoT, although additional connectivity can be integrated as required.
In terms of architecture, one gateway per sector is usually recommended to simplify management, although this is not necessary in NB-IoT. It is also advisable to have link redundancy in critical areas and standard protocols to ensure interoperability with the SGPR platform.
| Technical requirements | Latency ≤ 5 seconds for critical events. Message retention and forwarding in case of disconnection. Remote connectivity monitoring. |
Software
Usage rules engine
It allows defining policies by type of plaza and executing dynamic rules in real time.
| Technical requirements | Policy versioning capability. Pre-deployment simulation (sandbox). Decision logs for auditing. |
User and profile management
Controls permissions and authorization traceability so that only authorized users (residents, companies, services, agents, etc.) can access certain places.
| Technical requirements | Strong authentication. RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) and ABAC (Attribute-Based Access Control) integration with municipal directories. |
Scorecard
The dashboard is divided into two modules: operational and analytical.
| Operating module | Real-time alerts. Incident management. Geographic visualization. |
| Analytical module | Historical metrics, reports by zone, type of plaza and schedule. KPIs for planning and optimization. |
Incident management
The system must allow an automatic registration of events, classified by type and priority, in addition to assigning them to specific agents or teams for resolution and follow-up.
3. Interoperability
The SGPR integrates with municipal systems, mobility applications and third parties through open APIs that allow consulting the status of each plaza, registering events, managing permits and consulting historical data. The Urbiotica system implemented in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat was integrated with Scancar to automate alerts and have photographic evidence. Municipal supervisors receive real-time alerts about events, incidents or non-compliance with regulations for rapid intervention.
Governance and management model
The governance of a RPMS defines the operational framework of the system, i.e. who makes decisions, how exceptions are managed, how performance is monitored and how transparency and compliance are ensured. It aims to ensure that the system is governable, not just functional.
Criteria for use and responsibilities
The rules of use and priority must be defined in a coordinated manner among the different municipal areas involved to ensure operational coherence and to comply with public policies. According to the typologies of the aforementioned square:
| Urban mobility | Parking management criteria and circulation policies. |
| Social Services | Accessibility and inclusion criteria, especially in PRM places. |
| Urban logistics | Loading and unloading needs, delivery prioritization and coordination with businesses. |
As a guide, the recommended decision flow would be to define policies, translate them into operational rules (SGPR), validate and adjust periodically based on actual data and needs.
Exception management
It must be able to update its permissions dynamically and under traceability so that exceptions do not become a problem. Minimum operational requirements would include managing temporary permissions and exceptions, validating each movement, being able to revert or expire permissions automatically, and recording who authorizes and under what criteria.
3. Audit and transparency
Governance requires traceability for internal control and to maintain public confidence. It must verifiably record incidents and misoccupations, modifications to rules and permits, exceptions applied and their justification, decisions and operational changes. This is key for audits, regulatory compliance and justifying decisions to the public.
4. Data Protection
Governance must ensure responsible data processing, applying principles of minimization of data collected, access criteria defined by responsibility, clear retention and deletion policies, technical and organizational security measures, and access traceability to know who accesses and what actions they perform.
Urbiotica’s results demonstrate that a well-implemented RPMS transforms parking management, with deployments that improve accessibility and logistics to reduce the most common conflicts in each case. Find out how we can help you: talk to an expert by writing to [email protected]
COO of Urbiotica
Specializing in strategy, business development, and product management in B2B technology companies. He leads the strategic direction and operational management of sales, business development, marketing, and product, driving international expansion and innovation in IoT and AI solutions for smart parking management. Under his leadership, Urbiotica has established itself as a global leader in smart parking and connected mobility, helping cities and private spaces optimize mobility, sustainability, and regulatory compliance.
