The intelligent parking system guides drivers to available parking spaces using sensors and electronic signs. It benefits travelers by reducing parking time and frustration, and benefits operators by increasing occupancy and revenue. The system can be installed new or retrofitted, and pays for itself within 12-18 months. It uses sensors to detect available spaces and directs drivers to the appropriate floor, aisle and bay.

1. INTELLIGENT PARKING
The INTELLIGENT PARKING Selection and Design Guide …
Executive Overview:
The Intelligent Parking system guides the motorist from the freeway, through the
process of selecting which parking area to use, to the floor with available parking,
then to the aisle with the available parking, and finally to the empty parking bay.
What are the benefits of Intelligent Parking to the stakeholders?
Travelers: Reduced time looking for parking, and reduced frustration.
Venue Operators: Increase in patronage, and customer satisfaction
Parking Operators: Increased space occupancy, and increased revenue
Environmental: Reduced air pollution, reduced congestion, reduced illegal
parking
Intelligent Parking can be installed easily in new venues, and can be retrofitted to
existing venues while the parking areas continue normal operation. Payback on
investment is typically 12 to 18 months. An optional Reservation facility provides
for additional financial return.
Typical installation, with individual bay sensors (Spot the single open bay!)
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2. Introduction to Intelligent Parking
The Intelligent Parking System is ideal to be installed in a wide range of parking
facilities. While these facilities vary widely, it is possible to engineer, supply and
commission a tailored Intelligent Parking System by making a few decisions, and
then selecting the appropriate components from the enclosed lists, and in this
way have a “kit” of components and drawings that a competent electrician and IT
installer will be able to install without difficulty.
Client Computers
Exterior Parking Guidance
Variable Message Signs
Optional
Communications
Server
Intelligent
parking
database
server
Ethernet Network Backbone (NTCIP)
Optional Web
Server
Optional Wireless devices
Resevation Data Concentrator
System
Zone Signs
Interior Parking Guidance
Variable Message Signs
World Wide Web
Mobile Phone Typical Zone with Incident Management
Laptop
or PDA Sensors and Variable Message Signs
indicators
Typical System Architecture, with individual bay sensors
The decisions to be made prior to implementation include…
1) Source of parking data
2) Data Concentrators
3) Signs
4) Central Computer system
5) Advanced features
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3. Source of Parking Data
Intelligent Parking can source parking data from one or more of the following
sources of data
a) Indoor ultrasonic sensor, with LED indicators. These sensors are suitable
for indoor use, where there is a roof over the parking bay. These sensors
combine high reliability of detection, as well as LED indicators
(Red/Green/Blue/Amber) to indicate the status of the bay.
b) In/Out loop counter. These loop sensors provide the capability to count
vehicles entering or exiting a parking zone, which enables parking
availability to be shown on electronic signs.
c) Interface with cash management systems. A number of the Cash
Management systems provide an interface for retrieving the number of
available bays, based on the cash management system ingress/egress
counts. Intelligent Parking can retrieve these counts, aggregate them
appropriately, and display the resulting information.
d) Outdoor individual bay count sensor (under development). For the ultimate
in reliability, coming soon from Intelligent Parking is the wireless individual
bay count sensor.
Sensor, showing installation and indicator LED’s in all directions
Data Concentrators
The appropriate selection of the position and quantity of the Intelligent Parking
Data Concentrators is a key part of designing a successful system. Data
Concentrators should be positioned as follows:
a) One data concentrator for a maximum of 72 individual sensors. Each data
concentrator should be responsible for a “zone” of parking bays.
b) Each data concentrator can drive a “zone board” electronic sign. The zone
board directs traffic down a particular aisle to a parking zone. (see details
under signs).
c) Each data concentrator can monitor up to 8 loops for ingress/egress, for
loop data source.
d) Data Concentrators can be provided complete with power supplies and
enclosures, ready for installation, or as bare printed circuit assemblies,
with software, ready to be mounted in a cabinet.
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4. e) Data Concentrators provide an NTCIP standard interface to the central
system, for the Zone Display Board as well as for the parking information.
Typical Data Concentrator enclosure Close up of Data Concentrator, with
Power Supply, Terminals, and Data
Connection
Signs
Any size and type of NTCIP sign is supported by Intelligent Parking. This
includes large electronic signs, suitable for Incident Management, through to
small electronic parking guidance signs. Signs should be selected based on:
a) Character height (1/500 of the viewing distance will suit in most instances)
b) Number of characters.
The most economical signs are combination fixed signs, with electronic four-
character elements, as shown in the attached photographs. The optimal sign
selection will guide the driver from the freeway, though which parking lot to
select, then which floor to select, then which aisle to select, and finally to the
open bay.
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5. Approach to Johannesburg Airport, showing parking availability
As the driver approach the parking garage,
signs guide the driver on which floor to
park.
Once inside the floor, an aisle board and
zone board guide the driver in which aisle
to park.
Zone Board
Aisle Board
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6. Typically, the Intelligent Parking kit will be provided with the electronic message
elements, to make up the required signs, which can be mounted in the fixed
signage by a local sign supplier. Alternatively, local supply of NTCIP signs can be
arranged to interface with Intelligent Parking.
Central Computer System
The Central Control System at the heart of Intelligent Parking can range in
complexity between:
a) a simple, single server system where the system aggregates the parking
data, and displays the appropriate messages on the signs.
b) a more complex client-server system, incorporating elements of traffic
management such as incident management, response plans, traveler
information, and WEB interfaces.
The Intelligent Parking software is part of the Intelligent Control suite of traffic
applications, which covers the broadest range of traffic and parking applications.
Appropriate site licenses are issues, and the software configured appropriately,
to provide a broad range of functionality over and above the basic parking
engine.
Reports are a key part of Intelligent Parking, and a range of standard real-time,
status, and historical reports are available. Custom reports are added at
commissioning, to suit the user needs.
For further detail, see the Intelligent Parking specification and User Guide.
Advanced Features
A range of optional and advanced features are available with Intelligent Parking,
including:
a) Intelligent Reservation: A WEB based reservation system, which allows a
premium to be levied for a guaranteed reservation (Johannesburg Phase
3 – details to follow)
b) Installation under occupation: A set of gantries, and method statement,
was developed to allow the installation of Intelligent Parking to take place
while the car park was in use. The experience gained in this approach is
available if required.
c) Intelligent Control, Intelligent Incident and Intelligent Maintenance are
companion applications to Intelligent Parking, and are designed to operate
as a suite of applications if Advanced Traffic Management is required..
Example kit of materials
A typical set of materials and services that will make up Intelligent Parking for,
say, a 10,000 bay multi-story parking garage will be as follows:
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7. Required items:
Item Description Qty Rate Amount
1 Ultrasonic bay sensor with 4 color LED bay 10,000
status indication
2 IDI 1301 NTCIP Data concentrators, with 200
interface to sensors, Ethernet, serial
3 Intelligent Parking NTCIP software site Sum
license
4 Intelligent Parking support package, Sum
including:
• User guide and manuals
• Drawings, connection diagrams,
installation instructions
• Telephone and e-mail support
• Training – Installation, operation,
maintenance, administration.
• NTCIP Test software, simulators for
commissioning and diagnostics.
• Configuration
5 On site commissioning support Sum
Optional items:
Item Description Qty Rate Amount
1 NTCIP 4 character sign elements – 18 “ 40
character for external use
2 NTCIP 4 character sign elements – 12” 48
character for internal use (aisle boards)
3 NTCIP Red/Green zone boards 100
4 Enclosures for Data Concentrators, 200
including power supplies and terminals
5 On-site project management, installation 6
supervision, system configuration and months
commissioning
6 Central computer system hardware, and Sum
database license
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