Smart parking lot a way to toward green city by Simeon Arnaudov

463.507 Practices in Technology Management Economics and Policy

01 March 2014

Abstract

Limited number parking lots and missing governance in managing and

disseminating information about available car parking spaces became significant

problem in many metropolis cities. Sofia city government had yearlong experience with

improving own system of parking lot management. Even e semi-electronic parking lot

system was implemented a upon a time ago, internally the system does not provide

information for free available parking lots. Contribution of this study is to provide

whole extensive evidence based on urban design, growth of traffic flow and technology

innovation with aim to implement software application services to domestic

transportation system agents with goal to increase local social wealth with car parking

lot reorganization and positive influence over reduction of carbonate gases and city

traffic flow. Furthermore, we are first who attempt to implement similar system in the

capital city of Bulgaria (Sofia city). Likewise, we tried to exclude deficiency of

previous research that was implementing mobile technologies in intelligent

transportation system. In this proposal we attempt to solve those problems.

Keywords: Intelligent transportation system; Information technology; Innovation;

Convergence; Intelligent transportation system and mobile application; Green city;

Addressed to: Sofia Municipality; IT Technology and Policy program (ITPP) – Seoul

National University; CityNet (Korea, Seoul branch office);

Possible funding: Sofia Municipality state budget; European funds in area of urban

planning and ecology;

Introduction

Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) include traffic control, mobile

communication (GPRS vehicle monitoring system) and all types of communications in

vehicles, between vehicles (car-to-car), and between vehicles and fixed car-to-

infrastructure. However, ITS is not restricted to Road Transport only - they also include

the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for any type of transport

including navigation system.

Urbanization and population growth are conspiring to overwhelm transportation

systems around the world (IBM 2010). Over the last 50 years, Sofia-city had grown

three times (NSI 2007). Heavy investment in number of industries, and rebuilding the

city urbanization shift the city population to over a million. People and goods mobility

from one point to the end point increase significantly the traffic jams. Limited number

of parking lots became problem as well. Fortunately, it is difficult to conclude which is

bigger problem, the lack of parking lots or missing of governance in managing and

disseminating information about free car parking spaces. City government had yearlong

experiance with improving own system of Parking lot management (September 2012 –

implement a SMS parking lot payment system).

Since June 2008 (Sofia city government) had been introduced innovative

technology for mobile phone subscribers using short SMS message to pay particular

occupied parking lot. Perhaps the system was available only in down town, where

parking restriction existed only. In other location of the city there is not payment

restriction, in case there are have not parking under restriction of the Road law. That

time the city government idea was to increase social wealth with reducing time for

buying parking ticket, eliminating the chance of private interaction between parking lot

valet and car driver. The role of parking valets reclassified, then they begin only to

oversee parking lot subscriber fulfilling their obligation for payment for certain duration.

The valets was equipped with smart mobile devices, with full access to parking lot data

base. The data base content information about occupied and not occupied parking lot

places, car plate’s numbers of parked cars and paid parking duration for certain car.

However this system is working well, there is not public access for available (not

occupied) parking lots. Under public access, we understand open landline or mobile

internet admittance to parking lot information. The information could content only

information for free and available parking lots in “blue” and “green” parking zones.

State of art

Information about city urbanization have to be conducted from city government

report, traffic reports, urbanization plan, and annual report for mobile communication

demand (yearly market overview). Technology for managing information about free

parking lots will be host online with accessibility via mobile internet (mainly using city

territory available mobile Internet technologies as Mobile Wi-Fi, 3G or LTE) and

available via mobile application. The goal of the mobile application is to search for

available parking lot. The mobile app will have access to parking lot data base, payment

parking system and mobile application server.

Literature review of city government reports gave us fully understanding of the

parking lot problem, city government planning and public budget, number of registered

cars, pollution reports, and traffic jam report.

Overview of mobile communication demand is important to understand the user

adaptation to new innovation technologies as 3G; 4G and LTE and in other hand the

mobile application. Most popular mobile technology for internet access and type of

mobile phone operation system will show the most favourable type of mobile phone

application.

Report of CRC 2012 shows 91% of population operate with mobile phone,

where out of them 12 % (ARC fund 2011) are smart phones. The 2011 year growth of

smart phone users is 24% (ARC fund 2011). Smart phone survey among Bulgarian

customers (NGO Mobile review 2011) shows that 65,8% from mobile operation system

is Symbian. Nevertheless, 11% of smart phones are with installed iOS, these users are

generating half of the mobile data traffic.

Literature review of current mobile internet based intelligent transportation

system.

Project proposal goals

With this proposal, we attempt to propose new services for available parking

lots, data collection and real time dissemination of information for “blue” and “green”

parking lots zones. Service have to be available for online access. Furthermore, we will

extend the importance (understanding) of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) and

passably will link this IT solution to global warming issue with partially reducing

carbonate gases and city pollution.

Contribution to this study is to provide completely extensive evidence based on

urban growing, traffic flow increasing and technology improvement for implementing

innovative services to domestic transportation system with aim to increase local social

wealth fare. Furthermore, we are first who are tried to implement similar system in the

city of Sofia. Likewise, we tried to exclude deficiency of previous research that was

implementing mobile technologies in intelligent transportation system.

Methodology

We summarize the literature, municipality legislation, Sofia urban planning,

domestic law of road traffic, current mobile services supply, usage of mobile internet

and other related reports. Finally, we propose our service solution, limitations and future

research.

Conclusion and future research

Reducing collusions, pollution, lost working time, traffic jams for drivers

looking free parking lot significantly will increase social wealth fare. Further study is to

upgrade the mobile application including navigation system to the nearest free parking

lot.

Reference:

Simeon Arnaudov: “Navigate for available parking lots with usage of mobile application”, 463.516 Management of

technology convergence, Fall semester 2012

IBM 2010: http://public.dhe.ibm.com/common/ssi/ecm/en/tte03001usen/TTE03001USEN.PDF

NSI 2007 – national statistical institute. Annual report 2007

Sofia-city government: http://www.sofia.bg/sinia_zona.asp

CRC – communication regulation commission http://crc.bg/index.php?lang=en

ARC fund: http://www.arcfund.net/

Mobile review: http://socialevo.net/nad-edin-milion-smartfoni-v-balgariya-za-2011-g-44911