pPING
_{Design of a System to Distribute Real-time Parking Data}

Description

The aim of the project was to design an interactive system that captures parking lot occupancy details and transmits that information to drivers, both before and during their travel, in near real-time.

The idea was to facilitate the parking decision making process in order to address traffic congestion, parking availability, and parking wait times. Within this goal, there were several sub-goals:

• Make the system non-attention demanding to avoid compromising driver’s safety
• Create a cost-effective, non-intrusive method of capturing parking lot status
• Publish that information to the Internet
• Create a device to obtain and display captured information within vehicles
• Not limit drivers’ options, but allow them to make informed decisions
• Ensure the system functions in all weather and lighting conditions for continuous, reliable operation.

Outcome

The result was a system comprising of three sub-systems - one to monitor parking lots and gather data, the second to analyze and present the data online and the third to display the data in a vehicle.

A working prototype of all three systems was created and tested using a model parking lot and toy cars. Information about the lot was transmitted to a modified PDA placed in a car driving outside the building, in near real-time. The in-car device interface design provided a unique user experience as it delivered information based on location, switching automatically from a campus view to a parking lot view.