Smart parking solutions have proven to solve many of the challenges facing today’s big cities, mainly traffic congestion and shortage of parking spaces. These systems significantly improve the experience for drivers, but also for residents, so we are going to help you choose the most suitable technologies for your city.
Understanding the real needs of the city
Each city has different urban characteristics, the streets may be narrower or have busy commercial areas, and the people who live there, or visit the city for different reasons, have specific mobility needs. Understanding all these aspects is crucial to defining priority action points.
Demand for parking
The first step would be to analyze the current situation in detail to find out how many cars are looking for parking every day, as well as where there is more demand: in the city center, in residential neighborhoods or in commercial areas on the outskirts, for example. It is also important to detect the peaks of activity, which could be in the morning coinciding with office hours, in the afternoon or evening with the return from work, during the week or on weekends due to the attractiveness of the area in question.
Existing infrastructure
In addition to knowing how many parking spaces we can manage, we have to take into account the type of infrastructure we are talking about. Some cities have more subway parking, while others have on-street spaces.
In one case or another, there are technological solutions for every need; it is a matter of choosing the ones that best suit the specific needs of the space. For example, there are different detection devices designed to identify the availability of parking spaces without the need to modify the infrastructure in its installation or use, which is interesting in areas that are to be preserved, such as the historic center of a city.
Parking Guidance System
Features of an intelligent parking system
Sensors and detection cameras
Occupancy sensors are the basis of many smart parking systems, they allow real-time detection thanks to IoT technology if a car is occupying a parking space or if it is free for use. They are the most widely used resource, both in dispersed parking spaces and in well-defined parking areas.
They are accurate devices, cloud-based detection ensures perfect calibration, and they have filters that eliminate electromagnetic interference to ensure reliable data at all times. Installation at ground level is fast, takes only a few minutes, and maintenance is performed remotely without the need for manual intervention.
Detection cameras, on the other hand, work in a similar way, using artificial intelligence and deep learning. They are capable of detecting the occupancy of each parking space or counting entries and exits with a reliability of more than 99%. These are designed for outdoor parking lots, covering up to 50 parking spaces.
2. Centralized management platform
The above devices, whether one option or a combination of both, transfer occupancy data to a centralized management platform where local authorities can monitor in real time the status of all parking spaces. From availability and usage time to the location of vehicles.
This data is very useful to detect new needs and continue to make adjustments over time. Mobility in cities is alive, needs change.
3. Mobile applications for users
As far as citizens are concerned, the information transmitted by the detection devices is also reflected in real time in mobile applications where drivers will be able to see in which areas there is greater parking availability and be guided to them so that they do not have to drive around for a long time trying to find them. It is a fast, accessible and simple solution for all types of users.
4. Variable signage panels
An alternative, or complement, to the previous intelligent guidance system, would be variable signage panels, also useful for free spaces and very convenient in delimited parking lots, for example, in shopping centers or office parks. They are located in strategic areas, easily visible to drivers, and indicate the number of free spaces in the parking lot in question or in one of its sections.
Interoperability of solutions
We speak of interoperability when the smart parking system can work seamlessly with other systems and platforms already implemented in the city, such as traffic management systems or electronic payment platforms. Smart solutions are designed to be adaptable, facilitating the improvement of the city’s urban planning without the need to completely replace the already installed infrastructure.
Similarly, smart parking solutions are scalable, they can grow as the city grows by adding new spaces in the same parking lot or expanding to new urban areas that had not yet been optimized. The system is modular, as many sensors or management tools can be added as necessary to meet needs and adapt to inevitable changes.
It is worth mentioning that data security is a very important aspect of any smart parking system. The devices comply with the General Data Protection Regulation and do not collect information beyond whether the space is occupied or not, as well as time and location parameters to facilitate management by local authorities.
Economic and environmental benefits
Smart parking solutions, beyond being effective in improving urban mobility, also come with a number of benefits that directly impact the local economy and the city’s air quality.
On the one hand, improved parking dynamics facilitate access to commercial areas throughout the city, not only to shopping centers, but also to small businesses located on public roads. Better use is made of parking spaces, not only by private drivers, but also by logistics companies that make use of loading and unloading spaces.
Since cars do not need to spend so much time looking for parking spaces because the guidance system already tells them where they are and they can go directly, there is less traffic on the streets and less gasoline is used, thus reducing the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions released by vehicles. This has a direct impact on the quality of the air that residents and visitors breathe. At Urbiotica, we help you choose the most appropriate technologies according to the real needs of the city. Our smart parking systems will allow you to optimize the use of available parking spaces in the city, without the need to expand the existing infrastructure. We recommend you to start with the most critical points in terms of mobility that have been detected in the city and, little by little, cover new areas. This implementation will make it easier for you to scale the service and tackle problems one at a time without the need for a large-scale deployment.
