Photo: UTI Grup - EU.com
Let’s face it, finding an empty spot to park is getting harder and harder. And it’s only our fault for the whole thing, as the transition to bikes and alternative means of transportation advances much slower than everybody anticipated.
This is why automated car parks are becoming more and more vital in all large cities out there, especially because they can provide drivers with the number of available spots in advance, sometimes using nothing else than a mobile phone.
But the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore has embraced a truly innovative approach that pushes the concept of smart car parks even further. The process is fully automated from one end to another, so basically, the only thing you have to do is go park your car and then leave without worrying about payments or anything else.
How it works is similar to other smart parks out there, but this time the implementation relies exclusively on the technology revolution to make the experience more convenient.
First and foremost, an application called GoParkin displays the empty spots in a parking lot in advance, along with the rates for each region. If available spaces are found, you can just drive to the car park, enter it without the need for stopping at gantries or taking a parking meter ticket.
It’s all thanks to new-gen cameras that automatically scan the car plates as you enter and create an account that’s used to determine how much you need to pay. When you’re back, the cameras scan your plates again, calculate the parking fee, and then the system connects to the mobile app where it automatically initiates a transaction based on a saved credit card.
For drivers, this means they just need to come park their cars, go wherever they need, come back, get behind the wheel, and then simply leave. No need for stopping at parking gantries, barriers, or interacting with anyone, something that has become a thing to avoid these days.
But this isn't all. While similar concepts already exist in other parts of the world, local officials are using more tech for other advanced capabilities.
The car park also uses a cloud-based engine with sensors installed in various parts of the lot to generate additional data, such as information on required maintenance. The collected details can then be analyzed to look into more patterns, including times when the parking is the most crowded, but also to produce additional data that can be used for better automation, such as trying to predict when more spots become available during rush hours.
But the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore has embraced a truly innovative approach that pushes the concept of smart car parks even further. The process is fully automated from one end to another, so basically, the only thing you have to do is go park your car and then leave without worrying about payments or anything else.
How it works is similar to other smart parks out there, but this time the implementation relies exclusively on the technology revolution to make the experience more convenient.
First and foremost, an application called GoParkin displays the empty spots in a parking lot in advance, along with the rates for each region. If available spaces are found, you can just drive to the car park, enter it without the need for stopping at gantries or taking a parking meter ticket.
It’s all thanks to new-gen cameras that automatically scan the car plates as you enter and create an account that’s used to determine how much you need to pay. When you’re back, the cameras scan your plates again, calculate the parking fee, and then the system connects to the mobile app where it automatically initiates a transaction based on a saved credit card.
For drivers, this means they just need to come park their cars, go wherever they need, come back, get behind the wheel, and then simply leave. No need for stopping at parking gantries, barriers, or interacting with anyone, something that has become a thing to avoid these days.
But this isn't all. While similar concepts already exist in other parts of the world, local officials are using more tech for other advanced capabilities.
The car park also uses a cloud-based engine with sensors installed in various parts of the lot to generate additional data, such as information on required maintenance. The collected details can then be analyzed to look into more patterns, including times when the parking is the most crowded, but also to produce additional data that can be used for better automation, such as trying to predict when more spots become available during rush hours.
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