Hikvision has partnered with Canadian reseller Noctoptics to create intelligent parking lot solutions based on Hikvision technologies. The first collaboration is a product called NoctoPark, which is a software platform designed to boost car parking efficiency and revenue, whilst optimizing the use of parking spaces. It is an extremely flexible system which can be configured in many ways to suit different circumstances.
The NoctoPark platform is integrated with Hikvision's HikCentral Professional platform, which enables it to be installed in multiple sites that can then be managed remotely. Other Hikvision hardware that is used includes parking barriers, intercom solutions and entrance stations.
Wide range of tools
NoctoPark also makes extensive use of Hikvision's automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, especially pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) dome cameras that are particularly suited to the low ceilings found in many parking lots. Additionally, NoctoPark includes critical payment and efficiency reporting to help parking lot owners and managers increase the revenue of their real estate.
‘Greater than the sum of its parts’
“Our partnership with Hikvision is a great example of how two companies can work together to create something that is greater than the sum of the parts,” said James Iacuessa, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Noctoptics. “Without Hikvision's core products and technical support we wouldn't be able to innovate and deliver such a high-quality product.”
Felix Fu, Global Technology Partner Alliance Manager at Hikvision, added: “The collaboration between Hikvision and Noctoptics is delivering best-in-class parking lot solutions in Canada and the US. By working together in this way, we are creating intelligent traffic solutions which combine the very best of world-class technologies with specialist and local expertise.”
Localized solution
Iacuessa founded Noctoptics after realizing that Hikvision technology optimized for North America could penetrate the market significantly.
“Before I set up Noctoptics, I was an enterprise solutions manager at Hikvision, working with clients in Canada and the US,” he said. “I was also working on intelligent traffic management systems in South America. I could see the opportunities for creating intelligent parking lot solutions based on Hikvision technologies, optimized for the North American markets. That's the gap that Noctoptics fills.”
“NoctoPark is deployed on-premises but can be managed remotely,” he added. “It boosts car parking efficiency, increases revenue, and always optimizes the use of parking spaces.”
Custom tools
The platform can be further customized to serve the diverse needs of parking lot operators, offering them different solutions to manage the throughflow of cars.
“When a vehicle approaches the parking lot, our solution captures the license plate number and raises the entrance barrier,” Iacuessa said. “Then, when the same vehicle leaves, the system will calculate the fee (perhaps using license plate recognition at the exit barrier), take payment (either at the exit barrier or at a pay station), and allow the vehicle to pass through the exit barrier.”
“Our solution is extremely flexible, allowing this basic configuration to be changed and altered to suit the needs of the customer and to enable them to maximize revenue,” he added. “We can even enable the parking lot to change how it operates dynamically based on circumstances.”
VIP spots and event adjustment
NoctoPark users can also create different user categories, for example giving certain groups access to VIP parking spots. It supports event-adjusted fee collection and management, which is especially relevant for event venues and sports stadiums, as they typically see “a sudden rush to leave at the same time,” as Iacuessa called it.
“In these circumstances, we can alter the way the lot operates and in the hours before the game starts, collect a single, standard payment on entry, rather than to calculate a bespoke payment for exit,” he explained.
“We also give clients complete flexibility about how they want to take payment. For example, they may wish to provide their customers with an online payment portal or a monthly subscription payment option,” Iacuessa said, adding that the platform enables operators to create complex tariff structures and calculate charges by the hour, the day or the month, as well as special weekend rates, rush-hour rates and early-bird discount rates.
Many verticals
NoctoPark has been installed at hotels, shopping malls, ski resorts, casinos, medical clinics and nature parks, providing different configurations to meet their respective needs.
“We enable hotels, for example, to offer free parking with their booking system,” Iacuessa said. “With some shopping mall customers, we enable them to provide shoppers who spend more than a certain amount with a voucher for free parking.”
The platform was developed in close cooperation between the two partners.
“The key to this partnership from the very beginning has been the fact that I used to work for Hikvision—as did several of my Noctoptics colleagues,” Iacuessa stated. “We all share a love of Hikvision products with extensive first-hand experience of just how high their quality is. We also know how to work with Hikvision, and how to integrate their products into our solution. Essentially, we are taking a great set of products and optimizing them for our particular vertical market here in North America.”
“I would also like to say that we have always received great support from the technical team in Hikvision HQ,” he said. “For example, when we wanted to display the license plate numbers on the video feed, they customized the HikCentral software to make this possible.”