Parking pressure at large corporate campuses presents several challenges:
Expansion or densification of the existing parking area to alleviate the pressure is not always possible, and valet parking is often prohibitively expensive and, depending on the culture, not accepted. Encouraging alternative modes of transport and promoting remote work and home office help but do not solve the issue.
Effective, reliable, and accurate real-time parking management that enables dynamic response and allocation of parking is indispensable.
Manage the parking pressure in a corporate campus parking lot
When merging two company locations at their headquarters, a Swiss industry leader turned to Parquery to solve the acute parking pressure. With the relocation of the additional employees to the headquarters campus, a total of more than 1,000 staff members, as well as visitors and external contractors, would suddenly have found themselves vying for just 600 parking spaces.
Although the management actively promotes the use of public transport, cycling and remote working, the number of parking spaces is insufficient. Expanding the parking facilities was not a viable solution. Therefore, the company needs to optimally manage the available space to accommodate the increased number of vehicles.
Parquery's adaptable and efficient approach convincingly met the needs of this Swiss industry leader.
The corporate parking lot is used by employees, visitors, delivery companies, as well as external contractors, such as the facility management, cleaning and restaurant staff. Due to the shift work of the industry giant, there are several peaks in demand on the car park during the day. Consequently, both staff and visitors are constantly in need of quick access to the car park so as not to waste time navigating the sprawling car park.
In addition, a significant concern was the misuse as a long-term or holiday car park and exceeding of the maximum permitted parking time, which further aggravated the parking problem.
Ground sensors were not a viable option due to their exorbitant cost and limited lifespan, costly installation and disruption of use due to necessary road works.
The corporation's head of security is responsible for overseeing parking operations. They dynamically allocate parking spaces based on daily requirements. During periods of low demand, they allow facility and restaurant staff to enter, while during peak periods they deny them access and advise certain employees to work remotely to alleviate parking pressure.
A cost-effective solution that gives real-time occupancy information, enforcement, and statistics with as few parking sensors as possible
In the year 2020, Parquery swiftly implemented a 3-month pilot study by leveraging the security cameras already in place to monitor the parking lot. The proven solution seamlessly evolved into a permanent solution to the corporation’s parking challenges that has been in operation ever since.
The cameras are strategically mounted on buildings at heights ranging from 15 to 20 meters. This elevated vantage point provides a near-bird's-eye view of the parking area, allowing each camera to monitor up to 300 parking spaces. At the same time, privacy and data protection concerns are addressed, as the cameras do not capture identifiable details such as license plates nor faces.
Smart parking timeline: In a mere six months, the project transitioned from initiation to deployment for the pilot project. After the transformation and extension of the pilot into a permanent project, it was fully operational with an accuracy of 99 % within just one month of the first images arriving on Parquery’s cloud servers.
Since the pilot phase, the project has been expanded to include about 100 motorbike parking spaces, all monitored with the same cameras. Parquery's solution showcases its ease of expansion, versatility and adaptability.
As security and data protection are top priorities for the client, our solution has been carefully tailored to meet the client's needs. This customisation includes the development of a new file transfer protocol for camera images that ensures compliance with strict security requirements.
Parquery's solution efficiently oversees approximately 600 car parking spaces and 100 motor bike parking spots with just four cameras. This camera alone monitors nearly 300 spots. Tapping into the existing power supply and network infrastructure, this implementation required minimal hardware and installation effort. In contrast, the cost, labor time, inconvenience, and logistical challenges of installing 700 ground sensors in a parking space that remains in constant use, are disproportionately high.
Efficient and effective parking management exceeding expectations
Parquery’s camera-based solution, coupled with the interactive dashboard and management tool, has “tremendously eased” and streamlined the security officer’s tasks. Furthermore, it facilitates dynamic space allocation for different user groups. The statistics and detailed analytics provided play a pivotal role in generating informative monthly reports.
Since the implementation of Parquery’s smart parking solution, the parking pressure at the headquarters has markedly diminished, leading to increased satisfaction among both employees and visitors.
Our employees save time and avoid frustration. When the parking is nearly full, we can promptly direct them to the empty spaces.
Since the introduction of the Parquery module for parking enforcement in the dashboard, problems with long-term parkers, such as during holidays, have been effectively solved.
The head of security affirms:
There are no longer issues with overstaying vehicles, as they can be spotted straight away.
Checking each car's parking duration and finding overstayers is easy with Parquery's dashboard. The enforcement module allows filtering both real-time and historical parked vehicles.
Furthermore, the corporation intends to utilize the occupancy data for workplace management, security, and driver convenience.
They plan to develop their own parking app that will allow employees to check parking occupancy from home and decide to work from the office or remotely. A booking system that allows parking reservations in advance is part of the idea.
Another option considered is the implementation of digital map displays and dynamic guidance panels on-site, assisting drivers navigate and park.
Integrating real-time data into an app, booking platform, guidance boards, or other software is seamless thanks to our robust Application Programming Interface (API).
Thanks to Parquery’s smart parking solution, the security officer and their team have been able to optimize their operations. It enables them to allocate parking spaces in response to demand and guide drivers directly to a vacant spot while simultaneously overseeing security tasks.
This efficiency has resulted in substantial time savings in maintaining parking security and ensuring smooth traffic flow. The dashboard allows them to “have a very simple complete view of the parking spots,” and their occupancy status in real-time.
An unexpected advantage has been the ability to implement a more flexible work policy based on parking demands, both statistically and in real-time.
We've identified days when the parking lot is full and now encourage staff to work from home on those days.
In addition to real-time parking data and statistics, Parquery also offers forecasting and predictions based on historical data, calendar dates, and events. These insights further enhance the ease of scheduling and work planning.
Parquery is trusted by large corporations in Switzerland, the EU, and the US to solve their parking pressure. Ask for a live demo of our references.
Would you like to resell our solution in your market or integrate it into your traffic or smart city platform? Call or email us and let's discuss the details.
Our main office is located in Geerenweg 2, CH-8048 Zurich, Switzerland
parking [at] parquery.com
+41 44 501 39 19 (8:30am - 5:30pm CET)
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