Beecham Research Looks at Future Impact of Next- Generation ‘Smart-Parking’ Systems
May, 2014
“Smart-parking” systems could relieve traffic congestion, reduce driver frustration, improve health and give a vital boost to the future of our cities, said IT and telecoms analyst Therese Cory, Principal Author of a report published in late March by Cambridge, UK-based Beecham Research.
“Road systems provide the vital arteries for commercial and business activities, but parking has become a major problem in all cities,” Cory said. “Early smart-parking apps may appear to be a novelty, but they are just the start, and alleviating parking congestion could deliver major benefits by helping to eliminate time wastage,
cut petrol consumption and reduce harmful exhaust emissions.
“We can learn from these relatively circumscribed smart parking initiatives to shape future, larger-scale ‘smart city’ projects to drive further productivity and prosperity,” she said.
Cities are centers for business, government and culture, attracting high volumes of workers and visitors. But today, “the use of modern communications and information technology is enabling officials to explore new ways to make their cities work better,” the research firm said in a press release.
The Beecham report examines a number of ongoing smart-parking trials in major cities from Birmingham, UK, to Moscow, using road-mounted sensors in busy shopping or tourist centers. Drivers use smartphone apps to access data collected from these sensors and analysed in central IT systems to produce a map of free spaces. In the near future, the report notes, automotive manufacturers will make this feature available from their “in-car telematics displays.”
For the report, Beecham Research conducted interviews with a broad range of participants needed to deliver smart-parking solutions, including sensor manufacturers, wireless network designers, mobile operators and IT system developers, integrators and analysts. In addition, Beecham also “harnessed the views and experiences” of city officials, funding bodies, concession owners, building contractors and others – not forgetting the motorists who will use and pay for their parking spaces.
[Source: Beecham Research]
“Road systems provide the vital arteries for commercial and business activities, but parking has become a major problem in all cities,” Cory said. “Early smart-parking apps may appear to be a novelty, but they are just the start, and alleviating parking congestion could deliver major benefits by helping to eliminate time wastage,
cut petrol consumption and reduce harmful exhaust emissions.
“We can learn from these relatively circumscribed smart parking initiatives to shape future, larger-scale ‘smart city’ projects to drive further productivity and prosperity,” she said.
Cities are centers for business, government and culture, attracting high volumes of workers and visitors. But today, “the use of modern communications and information technology is enabling officials to explore new ways to make their cities work better,” the research firm said in a press release.
The Beecham report examines a number of ongoing smart-parking trials in major cities from Birmingham, UK, to Moscow, using road-mounted sensors in busy shopping or tourist centers. Drivers use smartphone apps to access data collected from these sensors and analysed in central IT systems to produce a map of free spaces. In the near future, the report notes, automotive manufacturers will make this feature available from their “in-car telematics displays.”
For the report, Beecham Research conducted interviews with a broad range of participants needed to deliver smart-parking solutions, including sensor manufacturers, wireless network designers, mobile operators and IT system developers, integrators and analysts. In addition, Beecham also “harnessed the views and experiences” of city officials, funding bodies, concession owners, building contractors and others – not forgetting the motorists who will use and pay for their parking spaces.
[Source: Beecham Research]
