Parking has never been more relevant to the fate of business and the economy than it is today.
As more cars hit the roads, the complexities of parking become more immediate and pronounced.
According to a report published in Wall Street Journal, global automobile sales reached record-breaking figures of 90 million in 2017, which was a 2.7% growth since the previous year.
Business firms need to walk a tightrope between providing ample parking space to accommodate these growing numbers of cars and maintaining budget constraints plus limited building footprints.
If your firm is struggling with parking challenges, it’s wise to consider a more innovative solution that involves software automation.
6 Ways to resolve your company’s parking problems using software automation
Automated parking spaces have a number of advantages over their traditional counterparts including reduced costs, improved space utilization, milder environmental impact and a pleasant user experience.
For offices with a limited construction area, automated parking comes as a sort of blessing since they require 60% less building volume and 40% less area.
This advantage spills over in the form of greater ROI for companies.
Automation takes care of tracking, processing, checking and management ensuring the processes are speeded up and well-coordinated.
Let us look at some of the ways in which software automation can resolve your company’s parking dilemmas, thus making it a hassle-free experience.
Use robots for automated valet parking
Did you ever imagine AI-powered devices to offer valet services! Well, this is no science fiction but the reality of our times.
Automated valet parking robots pick up and park cars more efficiently and swiftly in a traditional parking space. You can book a dedicated parking slot via a smartphone app and then drop off their vehicles in a specified cabin commonly called the drop-off area.
Next, the valet robot picks up the vehicle and ensures it’s parked in the designated spot. By activating the app, you can establish digital contact with the parking garage, and allow the system to compute the route to a free parking spot. Since these automated valets facilitate efficient management of spaces, cars are parked in a more compact manner to accommodate more cars and generate higher revenue.
Opt for car parking lifts
The idea of using automated car parking lifts is similar to automated valets, it’s only the execution that varies.
The system works by stacking cars one over the other. This is achieved by using mechanical lifts to arrange vehicles in the available overhead space. This kind of arrangement allows more vehicles to access the same parking space as they can be stacked two or even three at a time.
The innovative technology works well for even small, single-car garages since more vehicles can now park in limited spaces.
Install smart parking sensors
Smart Parking employs several recent technologies such as WSNs (Wireless Sensor Network) and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) to revolutionize parking in modern cities around the world.
They provide real-time data collection with the help of sensor nodes strategically placed throughout the parking area. These sensors significantly reduce the time that one spends hunting for a vacant parking spot.
The system implements a mobile application with a slick user interface that drivers can install on their smartphone to refer from time to time.
By communicating in real-time with Parking-Routing-Information-System (PRIS), the sensors guide drivers to available spaces.
The wireless sensor networks create a powerful and sustainable system, capable of keeping track of vehicles at large parking facilities and determining which parking spaces can be used at that instant.
This not only minimizes unnecessary traffic congestion but also brings down overall emission levels.
Manage payments with Pay by Plate Technology
Gone are the days of parking meters. Pay by Plate Technology is here to manage parking payments in a seamless and sophisticated manner.
It imbibes the functionality of parking meters and adds several cool features integrated into a secure mobile app.
This technology allows drivers to make payment for parking spaces by punching their license plate number into a parking kiosk. They can then proceed to pay via cash or credit card.
With the Pay by Plate mechanism, drivers can reserve parking space for as long as they want and for renewal, they don’t need to rush back to their car. One click on the app does the trick.
Regulate parking permit and privileges
Managing parking systems and payment privileges can be a cumbersome process, especially if handled manually with technological intervention.
Employee parking management system controls parking privileges by using license plate recognition technology.
It allows parking staff to identify authorized and unauthorized visitors in seconds.
Such permits can be generated digitally to give an employee access to park in a specific area, for a particular week or a month at a stretch.
Distributing such permits gives employees a clear understanding of their entitlements while enabling parking staff to work within a framework that ensures rules are followed on the premises.
Go through a well-prepared employee parking policy sample to get a clear idea regarding the types of parking permits and privileges your employees should be entitled to.
Integrate 3D parking design and signaling
Parking assist technologies are often accompanied by 3D surround view solutions that assist drivers during parking.
Such view systems consist of smart camera solutions that effortlessly combine the object recognition capabilities with the display functionality to offer an all-round panoramic view of the parking space.
Besides identifying the parking space of appropriate size, the system detects obstacles using a computer vision system-on-chip (SoC).
Optimized for smart camera and 360° surround view, SoC features parallel image processing which means companies don’t need to implement different image signal processors for different cameras.
Conclusion
There are a host of software automated solutions available in the market, allowing companies to effectively handle the parking crisis in their premises.
At the core of each automated solution, lies the principle of innovation and out-of-the-box thinking. This ensures new features are constantly added and the older ones improvised.
When your clients, customers and coworkers feel that you’re handling parking issues with utmost sincerity and diligence, they’ll be happy and relieved and will look forward to a productive day at work.