Parking is a headache for city dwellers and commuters alike. Finding a space can take a long time, and this is especially frustrating when you are trying to start your working day. When Otto, one of the world’s largest e-commerce companies, wanted a technological answer to this problem, they turned to innovative security solutions provider Videte IT project. Videte IT delivered it’s smart and safe solution using Hikvision products.
Parking is a headache for city dwellers and commuters alike. Finding a space can take a long time, and this is especially frustrating when you are trying to start your working day. When Otto, one of the world’s largest e-commerce companies, wanted a technological answer to this problem, they turned to innovative security solutions provider Videte IT project. Videte IT delivered it’s smart and safe solution using Hikvision products.
Challenge
Otto was adding two new buildings at its group HQ in Hamburg, Germany, which included a car parking facility. From the beginning, management wanted a parking lot that made parking simple, efficient and safe for employees. Drivers often go into a parking lot and drive round endlessly trying to find a space. This wastes valuable employee time and frustrates them, all adding up to a bad experience.
Otto also needed a parking lot that was easy to manage, easy to operate, and that could integrate seamlessly into the existing security systems, as well as accurately monitor parking for management purposes. This required intelligent detection and analysis to provide improved traffic flow and parking space information (utilization rate) immediately.
Another requirement asked for was a mobile app, so that employees could plan their arrival beforehand.
Of course, as with most new structures, there was also a need for security that linked seamlessly into the existing systems.
Solution
A Hikvision indoor parking guidance system was installed as part of the project build. The system detects all available parking spaces using parking cameras (DS- TCP345D) installed throughout the structure. Each camera can see six spaces in the parking lot and so they can see if there is a vehicle in each one. This information is sent to a guidance terminal, which will calculate how many parking spaces are occupied and available. The terminal will also send this data to a deep learning analysis server (DS-TPS100), which in turn updates the parking guidance screens. This means drivers can easily find an available spot.
Drivers can see clear signage when they enter to take them immediately to the next available space, using parking guidance display indicators (DS-TVL121) throughout the car park. The analysis server provides information about how many parking spaces there are to the entrance parking guidance terminal (DS-TPM400-P). The parking guidance terminal also displays colored lights showing parking status -- red for occupied and green for available. This can also be configured, with seven colors available to allow different status indications -- for example VIP parking space, electric car space and disabled space. This terminal also had a built-in switch function to provide power to the 32 cameras, making installation easier.
The deep learning-analysis server improves parking lot efficiency by combining all of this information, providing a valuable resource for management. It works to analyze vehicles to improve parking space detection accuracy.
The system can also support multiple reports for easier management, such as: hourly, daily, monthly, annual reports to show which time is the busiest or shows as full. It can also show usage of the parking lot and average parking time.
Last, but not least, the cameras also provided surveillance, securing the car park as well and streamlining it.
Timo Koch, Videte IT’s Head of Technology and Pre-sales, and Tobias Bauer, Videte IT’s General Manager, said: “We built a parking system that made parking management so much easier around AI (artificial intelligence) technology using Hikvision products. These provided a higher detection accuracy rate than other, and make the solution scalable for the future.”
With the help of Hikvision and Videte IT, this parking lots removes one of the modern headaches for Otto employees, streamlining the hunt for a space. AI also provides vital information to the management team -- effectively delivering a win-win scenario.