What is Smart City Parking

Smart City Parking is part of the Smart City movement and refers to the use of advanced technologies and data-driven solutions to manage parking spaces and improve the overall parking experience within a city. It encompasses a range of technologies and strategies designed to make parking more efficient, convenient, and environmentally friendly.

There are several approaches to monitor, analyse and thus improve parking spaces for example Parking Sensors. These are sensors installed in parking spaces that can detect whether a space is occupied or vacant. This information can be relayed to a central system, which can then guide drivers to available parking spots.‍

Real-time parking information also simplifies and shortens the search for a parking lot. The systems provide the real-time information about available parking spaces through mobile apps, websites, or electronic signs. This helps drivers locate parking quickly and reduces the time spent searching for a spot. It also reduces traffic congestion, lower emissions from vehicles circling in search of parking. The Automated Payment Systems also shortens the procedure of getting to the parking lot and leaving it. This systems often use electronic payment methods, such as mobile apps or contactless payment cards, to streamline the payment process. This reduces the need for physical cash and can help decrease queuing times at pay stations. Similar to this approach is the Smart Parking Meters, these meters can accept various forms of payment, including credit cards, mobile payments, and smart cards. They may also provide additional services such as extending parking time remotely via a mobile app.

A very new and also controversial approach is the Dynamic Pricing, the price can be adjusted based on demand, time of day, or other factors. This encourages more efficient use of parking spaces and can help alleviate congestion during peak hours.‍ Accessibility is important as always but the Smart City Parking solutions aim to make parking facilities more accessible to individuals with disabilities by providing designated accessible spaces and incorporating technologies that assist people with special needs. The approach for a more environmental friendly solution is the Integration with Public Transportation. Smart city parking solutions often integrate with public transportation systems, providing seamless options for commuters to switch between driving and public transit. This integration ensures that more people use public transport and thus save fossil fuels.

The foundation of Smart City Parking is Data Analytics, data collected from Smart City Parking systems can be analyzed to gain insights into parking patterns, occupancy rates, and traffic flow. This information can be used to optimize parking policies and infrastructure.

With Isarsoft Perception, users can gain access to reliable and scalable insights to conduct effective parking management.In the webinar on "Unlocking Parking Management Insights with Isarsoft Perception", we discuss how Isarsoft Perception:

• Can be used to measure dwell time of queued cars
• Can be used to visualize video data via heat maps (path, position)
• Can be used to measure occupancy in user-defined areas to assess availability
• Can be used for accurate staff deployment
• Can be used to assess vehicle flow through the creation of lines and zones