How to Build a Real-Time Parking Availability System

Bumper-to-bumper traffic and crowded surface car parks well-known problems in every metropolis. Underground parking and parking garages are solutions but one has to know there is a vacant parking spot before making a dive into a parking structure.

Smart city concepts include different types of electronic data collection sensors to supply information which is used to manage assets and resources efficiently. Monitoring of parking space availability in real-time is a perfect example of smart and efficient resources management.

Smart park reservations can be beneficial, both for the end-users (i.e. car drivers) and parking operators. The problem is quite challenging, yet the latest technology allows for building a real-time parking space availability system, which may be the right fit for your business.

Parking Management Systems – Then and Now

The parking industry has changed a lot since the development of smart technologies. Traditional parking systems were built on proprietary software platforms that couldn’t connect to other systems and exchange data in real-time. Sounds a bit obsolete, doesn’t it?

In today’s world, data exchange and information retrieval is something you can’t live without. The United States is one of the largest smartphone markets in the world. According to Statista, in 2017, 68.4 percent of the U.S. population uses a smartphone, and the estimate for 2018 is more than 230 million. And those millions of smartphone users download millions of apps to make their lives easier.

People know they can use an app to get to the place they need. Really it’s enough to say “OK, Google” and name the point of destination to get the route including the information about road surface and traffic jams. But when you get there, will there be a place to park?

IBM’s global parking survey estimated that over 30 percent of traffic slowdowns in a city are caused by drivers searching for a parking spot. Dynamic Information-based Parking can be a key to resolving this problem. A smart parking system providing parking operators with parking availability information across all parking lots and garages allows accurate estimation of the number of spaces available at any given time. Parking inventory data from back-end parking data systems can be provided to car drivers via an integrated app.

How Is Parking Inventory Data Compiled?

In general, there are two ways to get real-time parking availability data–vehicle movement detection and vehicle video tracking–which imply the use of sensors and cameras.

• Sensors

Sensors are installed at the entrance and exit points of a car park to track the number of vehicles that arrived at the garage and the number of cars that exited the parking structure. The data is calculated against the number of available spaces in the structure and the resulting vacancy is fed back to the app. Every level of the multi-level parking structure and every individual parking spot can be fitted with sensors to provide accurate data about occupied and vacant spots. In the case of on-street parking, sensors can be embedded in the ground.

• Cameras

Cameras are installed on every level of the parking structure to track where vehicles are located. In this case, specialized software is needed to identify the number of vacant and occupied spots. Cameras can also be mounted on light poles or building structures for on-street parking systems.

Basic Components and Development Process for a Real-Time Parking Availability System

The parking inventory tracking system typically comprises three components:

• a parking management server
• IoT hardware platforms (sensors and cameras)
• a mobile app

Parking Management Server

The parking management server monitors all the parking spaces:

• tracks parking spot availability
• predicts availability in real-time
• manages metering and billing for parking users

A prediction module can use AI technology, such as neural networks, to predict parking occupancy in different areas of the city based on the historical data in each parking region.

IoT Hardware

An IoT hardware platform based on sensors or cameras detects the presence or absence of a vehicle. It connects parking structures to the server and transmits the data.

Mobile App

A mobile app connects the system with the users so drivers can find a vacant space quickly and easily using clear and simple directions. Generally, such an application shows the driver a real-time view of available and taken parking spots via a simple and comprehensive interface, allowing a parking space reservation and automatically tracking billing based on when the driver’s vehicle is logged entering and leaving the parking space.

Location-Based Technology

To improve the parking experience you can use location-based technology in the app. Examples of such technology are geofencing and iBeacons. A geofence feature implemented in the app allows giving automatic alerts about how many spots are available in the lot to an app user driving into the area. iBeacons, which are low-energy Bluetooth devices, can detect an app user in the vicinity of the parking lot area and notify this user about the available parking spots.

Benefits of the Smart Parking System

Real-time parking availability system development opens the door to opportunities and innovations. Cloud technology allows automated sharing of availability information with drivers, dynamic pricing implementation based on the parking utilization rate, and efficient parking space utilization. Smart parking reservation systems create a better customer experience and lead to lower city congestion and higher parking revenues.

If you’re interested in developing or integrating with a smart parking system, speak to a Cprime development expert today.