Parking is an ever-increasing problem across cities and towns. This is majorly due to the rapid urbanization that has led to the creation of more residential and commercial buildings but less space to house all the vehicles coming in. as per multiple reports, people spend hundreds of hours every year finding a parking spot in metropolises. Whether you’re rushing for an important meeting or job interview or just stepped out to go get some food at your favorite restaurant, your mood is sure to be hampered by the long search for a parking spot on some days.
The perfect solution to this parking problem is smart parking solutions. This technology not only helps users find a parking post quickly but also helps building managers or parking managers easily manage daily traffic. Smart parking solutions also make it easy to charge clients as per the time their car remained parked and can also help find those who park incorrectly or for longer than stipulated. While it has many advantages, the real question is, how does it really work?
According to Omri Shafran, founder and CEO of Surespot, one of the best smart parking service, smart parking systems use a mix of cameras, sensors, variable road message signs, and in some cases RFID or similar scanners to identify the occupancy of a parking spot and manage parking bills for a user. These then relay the availability of parking lots to customers via a mobile application in almost real-time. These systems hence save time taken by a driver to find a vacant parking spot.
omri shafran Houston suggests that the functioning process of these smart parking systems can be further broken down into 3 processes:
1. Input: A sensor or camera is embedded in the parking spots or next to them. These collect parking lot occupancy data in real-time. These are also combined with parking meters and mobile applications to send data about the payments or parking authorization in case of a private building.
2. Processing: The data relayed from the ground is received by a centralized server through a highly secure radio communication network setup which is monitored by central teams to ensure a smooth experience for all app users.
3. Output: Finally, the processed data is sent to users through their mobile applications. The applications help drivers find the exact vacant parking spot without having to drive around aimlessly. The data being reflected on apps could also include the pricing information or the billing history of the user.
omri shafran houston tx says that through this 3 step technologically coordinated process, it becomes very easy for building managers to monitor the parking availability and effectively navigate incoming traffic through the parking lots. This also means that parking lots can now shut down at 99% capacity instead of the usual 85-90% because of complete information about parking slots.
For paid parking spaces this means more cars and hence more revenue. Smart parking systems in paid parking lots also monitor the duration of occupancy through the sensor readings and can be used for automatic billing via the mobile app. The sensors on these parking lots also indicate to drivers if a spot is already reserved and hence avoid hassles for those who have reserved spots in certain places like government buildings or residential complexes.
All in all, smart parking systems are the perfect implementations of IoT based solutions that use simple wireless transmission networks to make lives of people easy and save time for them.