Project proposal for Systems course. Full documentation was created and can be added if there is a request for it.

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ParkSmart Proposal
Aina, Michael
Do, Phuc “Dendi”
Gogats, Ryan
Martino, Ruben
Sinistore, Thomas
Background
Currently Binghamton University is using a traditional method when it comes to parking
services. Students and faculty alike get parking passes after paying a fee. They can then park in
certain lots at certain times. Attendants are paid to monitor the lots and write tickets if necessary
if the rules aren’t followed and cars are parked where they shouldn’t be. The problem to be
solved is how students get tickets for parking violations that they are unaware of, and it solves
the problem of having to drive through a parking lot when it is already full. The information
system would give anyone who needs to park on campus access to knowing where to park and
when they are allowed to do so. It also makes issuing tickets easier since it does not require
someone walking around and checking every individual car, but rather the system can detect
when someone is parked illegally, give them a warning, then issue a ticket directly through the
system.
Proposed Solution
The system would be run through several scanners which scan the parking lots to see
what spaces are used and which are available. Each registered vehicle would have a tag hanging
from the front mirror that the scanner would read based on an RFID tag and see who is parked
there. This would register with the central computer every 5 minutes and update the application
so that anyone who checks it can see how full a lot is. After the system matches up who is
parked in a spot, it would send out an alert to the user with the ParkSmart application if there is
an issue, such as if they are not allowed to be there at that time or because they are a commuter
parked in a resident lot or vice versa. A database would have to be set up with the user
information such as name, tag identification number, type of car, and status (commuter, resident
or staff) and fines due to illegal parking. Another database would have to be set up for each lot,
which contains who can park there, and its availability. A database for each space in a lot would
then be set up, which would show who is parked in the space after being synchronized with the
user information database.

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Benefits of the proposed system
 Updates will be sent to the driver’s phone of the available parking spots in real time
 Warns drivers of certain lots they cannot park in and the times certain lots are no longer
available to be used
 Parking Services will no longer have to go around and check each car individually
 System will monitor the cars in the parking lots from the Parking Services Office and
they will know exactly where prohibited cars in certain lots are located
 The system could enhance their parking service duties and make them more efficient in
monitoring the vehicles in the parking lots
Alternative Solutions
 Off-the-shelf package: Parking Solution Inc (PSI) already has a system can be
implemented to help schools, organizations, companies improve their parking system. T
 Outsourcing: one of the most popular website for outsourcing - www.elance.com, allows
users to post their jobs (project description) for free, and wait for freelancers to response.
Once the responses are up, we can review the proposals and choose the most appropriate
solution and hire the freelancer to work on the project.
However, we assess these options might not be feasible as freelancers may not understand the
environment and current infrastructure of our school, which can be a drawback once the design
phase is conducted.
Technical Feasibility Analysis
There are few technical aspects that need to be addressed for this project to proceed. The
following questions must be answered:
 How will we record traffic and can we differentiate between residences and commuters?
 How will we interact with the database and push out relevant information to students?
 How will the system notify students of parking-related events?
Recording traffic and differentiating between students is not a very difficult task. Radio
frequency identification tags can be used, as the encoded microchips can be put into hangtags or
decals. They will be affixed to the students’ windshields. RFID readers can be set up to scan
multiple, individual spaces. The reader will send information to a database to:
(A) Verify that the student is parking in the correct lot
(B) Flag an unidentified vehicle, inappropriate vehicle, or unoccupied spot
(C) Update the database as to the number of spaces available and their locations

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(D) The database will then send either send a warning to the mobile device of someone
who is inappropriately parked or issue a ticket after a certain amount of time (estimated
10 minutes)
(E) Additionally, the database will send out a warning for certain lots that have specific
times of operation (i.e. snow lots)
RFID-embedded decals and readers are available from third-party sources. The database
and mobile app will require programming knowledge. The mobile app should be able to utilize
the GPS capabilities of mobile devices to show available spots. Through the mobile application,
parking services will be able to send out messages to users of the application. They can alert
drivers of relevant information such as snow lot regulations or construction work.
With about 50 separate parking lots of various sizes and over 14,000 enrolled students,
the size of this project will be quite large. However, the technology is well-known and should not
be an issue for IT departments. Students will be extremely familiar with RFID, mobile
applications, and smart phone/mobile device technology. This system is unlike anything the
parking services department has used, so it will be very new for them. It is mostly automated
though, so they will not need great technical expertise to utilize it. Compatibility should not be
an issue as it is not being integrated into a system.
Economic Feasibility
RFID tags will need to be simple, only telling the reader if it a Resident, Commuter,
Faculty, Handicapped, or Emergency/State Personnel. Estimations for the reader and the tags
will need to be used for a cost-benefit analysis. This system should relatively simple to design,
but it will require infrastructure work. Readers will need to be installed, electrical power will
need to be run and networking lines will be need to be established for information to be sent to
the servers. Attached is a breakdown of some a rough estimation cost projections. The benefits of
this system are mainly intangible and hard to quantify. Students will park more efficiently,
reducing travel times and traffic. Spending less time traveling the parking lots in search of a spot
may reduce the maintenance costs of the parking lots. They should get to class more easily.
Parking attendants/law enforcement will have a much easier time as students will be notified
immediately of their violations. Additionally, law enforcement will know when unidentified
vehicles are on campus and provide better safety for faculty and students. These benefits are very
difficult to quantify and any estimations would be very arbitrary at this point in time.
Organizational Feasibility
The system would likely be very well accepted by students. Parking is an issue that
affects many students at Binghamton University. Lots fill up fast and can often be congested.
Presently, many students use mobile devices. The ability to accurately find parking spaces with
their mobile devices would alleviate a widespread problem in an easy manner. BU has over

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14,000 students, so the university would definitely welcome any solution to such a big issue.
This general system is used in at other universities, so BU could look to others as a template.
Scope:
 Covers all students and faculty
 Maintains all parking lots on campus, including outlying lots like the ITC building and
Hillside
Project schedule:
 Planning system and quality assurance
Draft requirements, project test plan
 Review and finalize requirements
 Draft design
 Create project guidelines and finalize design specifics
 Build and test system
 Debugging phase, finalize system for integration
 Implement system and release application
 Continue maintenance and reaction to user feedback
Functional requirements:
 Access to user database for querying
 Communicates with parking lot sensors
 Able to notify police of parking conflicts in real-time
 Query user database to check if user has parking pass, type of parking pass, meets
requirements to park
Non-functional requirements:
 Multiple language support (Chinese, Turkish, Spanish)
 Compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
 Graphical interface of parking lots for an easy user experience
Risks:
 Low adoption rate would make parking system largely ineffective
 Cost of maintaining sensors could outweigh benefits of system

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