Municipal governments are increasingly seeking better security, improved air quality and reduced pollution by looking into “smart city” solutions. Intelligent parking systems are an innovation that offers benefits in all three of these areas.
Warsaw has recently begun to test a parking information system designed by global IT business solutions provider Comarch. Here, the firm tells us how it works.
The project, commissioned by Zarząd Dróg Miejskich (the municipal road authority), is designed to monitor the number of parking spaces in two unassisted car parks in the capital, at Plac Konstytucji and in front of the Central Railway Station, by ul. Emili Plater. The system offered by Comarch is currently in its testing phase, which will continue to the end of the year.
The menu of Comarch’s smart parking app.
In fact, two intelligent parking system technologies are being tested as part of the project. The first, installed at Plac Konstytucji car park, uses wireless sensors fitted directly to the parking spaces. Availability of spaces at the car park by the Central Railway Station, meanwhile, will be monitored by video cameras.
The Comarch Smart Parking app is currently available on Android. Drivers are directly informed about free parking spaces through their smartphone, or via a web page with an interactive map.
Available spaces.
In many cities, “looking for parking spaces is very time-consuming, especially in the city centre and business districts,” says Wiktor Woźniak, consulting director of Comarch Smart City. “The Parking Information System developed by Comarch is set to solve the problem.
“The comfort of being able to find a parking space faster is important to all drivers,” Woźniak adds, “but it also matters to residents. The shorter the time taken to find a parking space, the lower the emission of fumes. The traffic flow is also better, as the risk of congestion and collisions is lowered.”
A car park in close up.
The system will also collect data, which will be used in reports on the use of parking spaces, according to such categories as average parking time or the scale of car rotation. By the end of the year, when the testing phase is finished, Zarząd Dróg Miejskich will know which car park monitoring system works best for a modern city.
This post was sponsored by Comarch, a firm which has more than 20 years of experience in helping global companies to achieve higher profitability, and understands the importance of changes taking place in contemporary cities. Its state-of-the art technologies, geolocation with micro-navigation, multi-channel access to the Internet and the growing needs of users, have made it both possible and necessary for the firm to design a comprehensive solution that combines an individual approach to clients, strategic planning and advanced analytical capabilities.
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