Park Agility is a business focused on the improvement of parking operations. We are first and foremost a technology company that has used intelligent automation from year 1, so it should come as no great surprise to learn that we are also a committed adopter of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Some algorithms and solutions are internally developed, whilst others derive from the solutions of partners such as SONAH and Plate Recognizer.

Incorporating parking LED signage in a car park or precinct area offers enhancements for both operational efficiency and customer experience, making it a solid investment in parking infrastructure.

With clusters of parking options in busy city centre or shopping and entertainment precincts, managing traffic flow at key ‘last mile’ decision points is critical to the reduction of congestion.

Whether parking facilities are utilising area count or per-bay parking guidance solutions, data collected from various sensors and sites can be consolidated and analysed in real time.

Area counting solutions are a cost-effective way of counting the number of vehicles entering and exiting a parking area. An assessment of available structure will be required to determine the best technology to use, but options include: laser, magnetic resonance or camera sensors. The data generated provides insights into utilisation of the parking facility over time and can allow real time parking availability information to be communicated to drivers.

Typically, a car park area count solution makes use of sensors installed at entry and exit points of the car park, either embedded in the ground – in the case magnetic resonance sensors – or mounted horizontally or overhead, in the case of laser or camera sensors.

Solar powered way finding signage is an ideal solution where traditional infrastructure is either not available or cost prohibitive and it works by mounting a solar panel on top of the sign to capture sunlight and convert it into electrical energy which is stored in a battery within the sign. The battery then powers the electrical components of the sign, which includes what drivers can see – the LED lights that provide real time availability and directional information – as well as communication devices which send real time data to management teams for optimisation and reporting.

There are several benefits to opting for a solar-powered solution including;

When it comes to car parks, we have decades of experience in best practice for designing and implementing wayfinding signage. As we create wayfinding systems customised for each parking asset, we consider:

Clarity and Simplicity

Using clear messaging and keeping it simple is critical for driver safety. With only moments to concentrate on signage, drivers must be able to understand what the signs are telling them immediately. Concise and easily understood signage means using readable icons, numbers, and letters.

When talking to councils and asset owners, typically one of the reasons for installing a parking guidance system is to improve customer experience. This isn’t just lip service; customers often want the benefits a parking guidance system provides primarily because it makes finding a parking spot easy, reducing stress and frustration during peak periods.

The technology also helps users save time and fuel by directing them to available parking spaces quickly. This is particularly valuable in busy urban areas or retail car parks with high shopper traffic where finding parking can be time-consuming.

When drivers are being directed efficiently to available parking bays, congestion is reduced. This contributes to reducing the emissions that are sustained when cars crawl in circles searching for somewhere to stop, benefiting both users and the surrounding area by improving traffic flow. This assists with customer loyalty as drivers come back to retail centres that offer an efficient parking service.

These efficiencies can be maximised by facility operators who can optimise available spaces for specific categories of parker (disabled, pram, electric vehicles) to ensure these spaces are available and properly allocated. By using past data to predict surges in demand, facility management is improved and whilst customers may not be aware of this functionality, they benefit from the enhanced capacity these informed decisions create.

Parking technology that incorporates security features such as surveillance cameras and emergency call buttons can make users feel safer in parking facilities, particularly if they are entering or exiting in a remote area or in the dark. Those that can offer a modern and efficient parking experience gain a competitive advantage, being an attractive option for customers who know they will be safe and able to find a parking spot quickly on arrival.

Another element of building customer loyalty is by meeting specific requirements or integration needs, such as connecting to mobile apps or payment platforms that customers use. Parking technologies can often be tailored to meet these needs, piggybacking off the loyalty and convenience those apps and services generate.

As customers seek to go about their business efficiently, parking guidance systems can help them on their way – but only when the technology works as it should. Facility owners need to ensure the parking guidance system they choose to install is one that delivers accurate information in a timely manner. There is nothing more frustrating in a car park than following a green light only to find a bay occupied! When they do, parking guidance systems provide a high level of convenience that caters to the needs of a parking asset’s customers.

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Park Agility are delighted to announce a partnership with SONAH GmbH, German provider of camera-based sensor products and solutions. This industry-leading, camera-based solution utilises both edge processing and cloud-based processing involving sophisticated Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), and can be used for traffic monitoring, vehicle counting, parking enforcement and as a key component in a parking guidance system.

The partnership adds to Park Agility’s range of products and solution offerings, which include multiple sensors; parking guidance systems; wayfinding signage; area and loop counting technologies; and precinct signage solutions.

Bringing to Australia a camera-based technology solution that complies with stringent GDPR privacy standards adds sought after capability. Data can be supplied to Park Agility’s SenseIQ management system that provides accurate, real-time information on occupancy and usage without adding to privacy concerns.

With a firm focus on accuracy and reliability, Park Agility’s customised approach to parking solutions takes into consideration the physical environment; asset size and complexity; operating costs and budgets; plus client-specific requirements and expectations. By incorporating a camera-based solution to our service offering, we continue to provide innovative, robust, and accurate technologies to both privately and publicly owned, on and off-street parking assets.

Talk to us today about camera-based solutions to improve your car park monitoring capabilities.

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Sensors, such as Infrared, Ultrasonic, LiDAR and Magnetic Resonance are often deployed for detecting the presence of vehicles in parking spaces and on the whole, they do that very well.

They provide accurate occupancy detection with low latency and processing overheads which is important for the provision of real-time wayfinding information to the carpark user. Whilst generally more accurate and lower cost to install and maintain, these four sensor types cannot provide additional visual information. That is the key advantage that comes with the use of camera sensors, though this advantage comes at a cost and the costs should be carefully weighed against the advantages.

Camera sensors offer the advantage of covering a wider area compared to individual bay sensors with a single camera sensor able to monitor four to six parking spaces indoors and as many as ten or more spaces in an outdoor environment, when mounted at height. However, the more spaces being monitored, the wider the lens angle on the camera and the higher the camera resolution that is also required. The higher the resolution, the higher the camera cost. Also the higher the resolution, the greater the network bandwidth to move the images and the higher the head end computing power required to process the images. It is a finite balance that takes ICT expertise and experience to manage well.

Costs and added complexity aside, by their very nature, cameras can provide detailed visual information and additional useful metadata when used in car parking management. Not only do they allow for recognition and analysis of parking space occupancy status, they can also enable vehicle tracking and identification using make, model and licence plate capture.

Whilst it can be advantageous to track and identify vehicles, such activity may face privacy concerns and potential liabilities. Asset owners considering the deployment of camera sensor solutions would be well advised to consider solutions offering the option of higher privacy compliance levels such as the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) standards.

Additionally, the tendency to deploy one camera sensor per four to six bays in an indoor car parking facility can be a compromise to accuracy. One would need to compete against the individual bay sensors on price to be certain, but increasing the potential for inaccuracy, particularly in the event of environmental factors or component failure where bay occupation count can thus be out by four or six instead of one. At Park Agility, individual bay sensors will always be considered the superior solution for this reason.

The area where cameras deliver the best outcomes is when used in access control and when used in bay occupancy count for large outdoor car parking facilities, particularly where there may be minimal structure.

In practice, particularly for larger car parking facilities, a combination of camera sensors and other sensor technologies is a good idea to leverage the advantages of both technologies. At any rate, seldom is vehicle tracking and identification required in all areas of a car park. More likely it is a requirement at entries, exits and more popular areas only – or at least areas where abuse is known to occur. A hybrid multi sensor approach can deliver accuracy, coverage, and help optimise cost-benefit.

Talk to us today for trusted advice on the best parking guidance sensors and solutions for your parking asset.

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