Smart on-street parking systems enhance current regulated parking spots with occupancy sensors that permit to provide additional features and services reducing CO2 emissions thanks to the reduction of traffic in cities, while improving user experience and parking area management. However, current commercial solutions achieve these benefits in a limited way, and in most of the cases are far from attractive for the decision makers and local authorities who are demanding reliable solutions for traffic management (related to parking areas), including fraud control and automatic enforcement, variable pricing and automatic billing, and other added-value services for citizenslike guidance, recommendations or reservations.
The aim of FASTPRK-2 has been to assess the potential market penetration of a new smart on-street parking solutions, by the introduction of certified 100% accuracy occupancy detection systems with advance services for cities and citizens.
Current FastPrk solution (sensors + network + services) is one of the most competitive ones in the market, consisting on a flush or surface mount magneto-resistive device powered with batteries, which communicates occupancy data through a proprietary high range low consumption wireless network to a central management server providing services for assets management, streaming of raw real-time information, business intelligence (multiple dashboards and data processing), network management and Service Level Agreement management.
FASTPRK-2 has explored the extension of current functionalities by improving:
- Sensors: Increase current parking sensors accuracy up to 100%, integrate vehicle/user identification solutions (RFID, Bluetooth, etc.), reduce maintenance costs by 20%, increase product lifespan (currently limited by batteries) and reduce energy consumption by 50%.
- Network: Improve data security and encryption for automatic enforcement and billing.
- Services: Extension of current data processing and Business Intelligence for real-time fraud prevention and automatic enforcement, variable pricing and automatic billing, occupancy forecast and recommendation, parking spot guidance and reservation, enhanced accuracy for occupancy detection (crossed sensors measurements), and user experience (UX).
- System: Improve system robustness, reliability, availability, scalability, compatibility/connectivity, by means of specific system design, selection of components and development of specific tools like self-checking and new APIs (Application Programming Interface), minimize installation by means of design strategies and updated procedures; minimize maintenance costs by means of preventive/predictive maintenance.
In parallel, Worldsensing has validated the technical and economic viability of the new product (FASTPRK-2) by means of a feasibility study, including a business plan for the commercialization of the system.
