TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

New System Locates Empty Parking Spaces

Rebecca Kutzer-Rice | Date: 07-15-10 | Comments

Researchers at the Universitat Aut�noma de Barcelona are developing a system based on positioning and location technology that finds empty parking spaces and guides drivers to them.

Anyone in an urban area is familiar with the frustration of finding a parking spot�circling the block again and again and, in desperation, ultimately parking somewhere inconvenient. Not only does this phenomenon waste time, but it wastes gas and adds to urban traffic congestion. A group of researchers at the Universitat Aut�noma de Barcelona School of Engineering�s Department of Telecommunications and Systems Engineering are developing a system that may make this annoying search a thing of the past.

Headed by Jos� L�pez Vicario and Antoni Morell, the team has created a tool that locates nearby unoccupied parking spaces on the street and leads drivers to the nearest ones. Making use of positioning and location technology, the platform consists of a network of wireless sensors capable of detecting open spaces in urban areas. The researchers stress that this technology is much more accurate than traditional GPS systems, which are slower and provide less detailed coverage in urban areas.

Catalan researchers have developed a system to help drivers locate empty parking spaces quickly�an effect that will decrease traffic and energy usage in urban areas (source: Universitat Aut�noma de Barcelona).

The wireless sensors must be placed on the ground in the center of parking spaces. They then detect whether or not the space is occupied and use the Internet to report to a central station. Once the server processes the information, indication panels on the street can display it in real time.

The researchers have designed a portable navigator for users that communicates with the system to guide drivers to unoccupied spots. By helping drivers find spaces more efficiently, the system will greatly improve traffic management in urban areas. Reduction in driving time will also alleviate energy usage and pollution.

The system is nicknamed XALOC (short for a Catalan phrase that translates to "Sensory Networks for the Management of Public Parking and Location"). Support was provided by WorldSensing, the Centre for Telecommunications Technology of Catalonia and the Catalan Government's Secretaria de Telecomunicacions i Societat de la Informaci�.

Do you live in an urban neighborhood where parking is a nuisance? Sound off below in our comments section!