How AI Parking Technology is Shaping the Future of Urban Mobility

Parking has become one of the serious challenges in modern cities, as population growth also leads to more car owners who need a place for their vehicles. The demand can significantly outpace the availability of spaces. Many urban territories, including public transport areas, and commercial and residential districts, can offer very limited parking supply.

According to the Royal Automobile Club Foundation research, car drivers spend nearly 96% of their time parking, including 73% at home and approximately 23% outside.

At Requestum, we believe that AI parking technologies are the solution to fix the issue. This article is an insight into the present problem with car lot availability and the common challenges every driver can face. We will tell you more about AI’s effect on parking, the key benefits they can offer, and show a few examples of real-life AI implementations.

Challenges of Parking Management

Attempting to find a safe and convenient place for the car, every driver may face some of the following challenges:

Lack of available spaces

The most common causes for lack of space are inefficient infrastructure, imbalanced lot distribution, and overcrowding of parking areas. When the demand exceeds the supply, drivers have no chance to avoid frustration when searching for a spot, making the whole thing challenging and time-consuming.

Traffic jams due to parking searches

When drivers fail to instantly find an available spot, they have to drive around in circles, adding to the traffic congestion. This makes drivers spend more time on the road and contributes to more pollution with all the extra fuel consumption. As a result, this search routine affects the efficiency of the entire transport system operation.

Unauthorized parking and poor enforcement

Some drivers may decide to use areas designed for residents, taking away the spots from their authorized owners, or leaving the car in forbidden areas purely out of convenience or lack of enforcement. Poor regulations give drivers the feeling that it is easier to drop a car illegally than to find a permitted place.

Inefficient use of parking spaces

Parts of provided lots stay partially filled, while other areas are overcrowded because of poor layout, lack of signage, or ineffective pricing strategy. Over-reliance on free car stations also often causes drivers to ignore paid service options even if they contain more available space.

How AI Smart Parking Technology Changes Parking Management

As you can see, finding space in a crowded city can be problematic, but with modern technologies, the routine can be dramatically simplified, made more comfortable, and more efficient. Artificial intelligence and machine learning can analyze available and occupied spaces with the help of a variety of sensors and cameras. Real-time smart systems reduce the time required for space searching, reducing, also, traffic congestion.

So, what is smart parking?

It is a highly relevant technology powered by artificial intelligence, designed for parking management optimization and smart use of the available space within urban areas. Usually, smart solutions involve sensor integration, real-time data, mobile applications, and other technologies to help drivers find available spots faster.

How exactly does smart parking lot technology help drivers?

To understand the concept of this technology and its influence better, let’s review its elements in more detail:

• Real-time data collection through sensors and cameras: Ultrasonic, infrared, and magnetic sensors can be installed in car lots, and configured to detect if the vehicle is present or not. Sensors can send real-time updates about space occupancy and display information in a mobile app. Recognition cameras can automatically record the license plates of left cars and track their presence to help with payment management;

• Predictive analytics to manage demand and prevent overcrowding: Predictive analytics uses historical data, real-time data from sensors, and advanced forecasting algorithms to predict possible space demand. Predictive models can evaluate it by analyzing patterns about the time of day, weather conditions, social events, repair works, and local traffic. This analysis enables the deployment of additional resources and dynamic pricing to manage critical periods;

• Automated navigation systems guiding drivers to available spaces: An AI-powered navigation system is the fastest way to find the available spot. For example, guidance systems use sensors and cameras on car lots to indicate the available places for each lot section and to lead drivers to the nearest open spaces. Integrated car navigation systems often have advanced GPS and parking apps with real-time data that help drivers with guidance to available spots;

• Integration with mobile apps for seamless user experiences: Mobile applications with real-time data on parking availability enable reservation and advanced payment. Push notifications can remind drivers if their parking time is about to expire. Available places nearby or changes in current pricing can also be alerted. Lastly, applications with parking history can provide data about the most frequently used places.

Technologies Supporting Intelligent Parking: the Secrets Behind Smart Parking Lot

Artificial intelligence makes a major difference in the parking process by cutting out senseless effort. It offers vital information about parking chances and pricing and guides drivers through garages without the need for a long search. Intuitive and personalized functionality is achieved thanks to AI-powered elements, which we are going to review further in more detail.

Deep learning as parking lot technology

Deep learning is a chapter of machine learning that utilizes neural networks for the analysis of massive amounts of data. Equipped with deep learning algorithms, a smart AI-powered system leverages in-depth data insights to detect parking spaces, present vehicles, and forecast potential availability on car lots. AI deep learning models recognize occupancy based on the info received from sensors and cameras, enabling automated parking management.

Computer vision for smart parking lot efficiency

Computer vision (CV) enables AI models to recognize and understand information received from visual means, like cameras. This can power space monitoring and the detection of vacant spots. Cameras installed in parking areas and on the streets capture video and images, passing the content to CV algorithms, which analyze space availability. CV tech also allows license plate reading and makes parking management and control much easier for both staff and drivers.

Ground sensors

Car stations and lots often have ground sensors, which help to understand if the vehicle is there or not, without additional checks. The infrared, ultrasonic, or magnetic sensors may detect when a vehicle enters or leaves the parking lot. They provide real-time data about the available space and help drivers find a place to leave their vehicles within a shorter amount of time.

Parking ticket machines

Ticket machines are also integrated with sensors and cameras. They are connected to mobile applications to enable automated parking management and payments. These machines issue tickets or offer digital payment options, monitor parking periods, and enforce lot regulations, giving more control. Ticket machines, connected to the cloud, can also update the pricing according to current demand, location, or time of day in a real-time manner.

Smart parking lots often combine the use of several AI technology solutions. For example, cameras and sensors detect lot availability, and the system analyzes data and updates it in mobile applications where users can pay for the required time or find available places. As an alternative, the data can be sent to the centralized system and drivers can use ticket machines.

Key Benefits of AI-Powered Parking

Artificial intelligence gives certain benefits to drivers, businesses, and city infrastructure management, so we are going to discover how it can enhance drivers' everyday routines and boost outcomes.

Assistance for drivers

• Drivers need less time to find an available place in the area;
• Analytic systems can predict lot occupancy and availability;
• AI-based apps navigate vehicles to available spots in unfamiliar public places;
• Dynamic suggestions offer the most efficient and time-saving routes to garages;
• Integrated payment solutions enable automated payments via cards and apps;
• AI enhances security within areas with vehicles, detecting suspicious activity around.

Benefits for business

• It is easier to achieve more optimized space use and real-time updates;
• AI adjusts dynamic pricing based on demand, location, daytime, and special events;
• Automated management saves costs associated with manual work;
• AI improves customers’ impressions after searching place for parking;
• Deep analysis helps in detecting movement patterns, customer behavior, and user trends;
• Customers are more likely to return to places with convenient areas to leave their cars.

What does smart parking mean for urban infrastructure?

• Faster space detection reduces traffic congestion caused by drivers seeking parking;
• The environmental impact is reduced with unnecessary fuel consumption lowered;
• AI-generated data on potential demand helps to plan car stations more efficiently;
• Integration with city technologies creates a more sustainable urban system.

Real-World Examples of AI-powered Parking Use

You can see how much artificial intelligence can change the attitude of your customers if you apply smart parking in your business areas, but nothing shows AI potential better than real examples. Let’s review some of them to analyze AI’s impact on modern parking processes.

Westfield shopping centers

Shopping malls use AI-powered applications to manage vehicle places on their territories with the help of IoT, computer vision, and artificial intelligence. They evolved from the first smart solutions to the new W-Park application to provide customers with a seamless driving experience.

The app supports the management of several vehicles, offers various payment methods, and tracks location history. W-Park allows users to book available spots, find the most convenient one, and reduce the required time. As a result, customers get a better shopping experience, and Westfield gets increased traffic in the mall.

National car parks

National car parks, also known as NCP, use artificial intelligence to control and adjust pricing models. Dynamic AI-driven models analyze potential demand, the presence of local social events, and traffic loads to correct current pricing in real-time mode.

With the pricing adjustment approach, NCP optimizes occupancy and available spot allocation and achieves better revenue. AI in NCP allows drivers to make informed decisions, while the companies get smart space allocation, and the company receives more loyal customers.

London Heathrow airport

Another example is London Heathrow Airport. Airport territories usually contain large parking areas that can be easily managed by an AI-based system. The combination of cameras, sensors, and machine learning monitoring offers real-time data on space availability and accurate guidance to parking lots.

This online parking solution offers special online-only prices and booking with various available options. Smart parking reduces the stress of travelers associated with busy airport car lots, and the airports themselves get improved space utilization and more efficient traffic flow.

Tesla supercharger stations

Supercharger stations are often situated in busy areas, and AI-powered solutions are a great help to find the available spot and the route leading to chargers. The Tesla application contains information about availability, monitors charging status, and sends a notification once the procedure is complete.

The app helps spend less waiting time at charging stations and get an overall more convenient experience for drivers. For Tesla itself, this means efficient infrastructure use and data for analysis to place station locations considering the demand predictions.

Future Trends in AI Parking

Looking at the rapid AI development, at Requestum, we believe that artificial intelligence can transform parking areas all over the world, offering drivers more convenience, efficient time management, and less stress during the place search. Thinking of the main trends for the future, we would consider autonomous parking systems and integration for smarter cities as the two main directions for development.

Autonomous parking systems

With the fast growth of the autonomous vehicle market, the development of autonomous parking solutions is a natural consequence. AI-driven systems are going to have more accurate guidance for autonomous vehicles to provide efficient space allocation, coordinate car routing processes, and automate payment systems even further. Autonomous parking leverages AI, sensors, and computer vision to assist with placing cars in tight areas, navigating in garages, and moving without the driver’s involvement.

For example, Volkswagen Group already utilizes the self-parking car option that allows the vehicle to drop off the driver and move itself to the closest available open space. So, we believe that self-parking is going to be a much more widely available feature in future self-driving vehicles, simplifying drivers’ lives.

AI and IoT integration for smarter cities

Internet of Things (IoT) means objects connected to the Internet that can communicate and exchange data with each other without human involvement. AI and IoT in parking areas can make parking a part of the smart city environment and infrastructure, closer connected with other means like transport systems.

By utilizing data from sensors, cameras, and mobile applications the users will be able to get insights into real-time availability, traffic patterns, payment solutions, and forecasts on parking demands. This will help drivers plan trips efficiently and cause fewer potential traffic jams, avoiding crowded parking areas.

Conclusion

Artificial intelligence is an efficient tool and driving force for smart parking transformation. AI’s capability efficiently fights most of the widespread challenges of parking areas like the lack of lots, traffic congestion, inefficient space use, and others. AI-driven technology makes the driver’s life easier by offering accurate navigation to the closest available places for car leaving, saving time and reducing cruising in circles.

AI integration in parking places allows businesses to create a comfortable environment for their customers, adjust traffic flow, control crowded areas, and give a competitive advantage to their reputation. AI gives more efficient space allocation and helps reduce the costs associated with manual work, performed by human operators.

If you want to create an AI-driven parking solution for your business and entirely transform customers’ parking experience, Requestum is ready to assist and create a custom solution integrated with the most up-to-date technologies. Contact us and we will suggest the solution to serve your company most efficiently.