This Parking App Uses Existing Smartphone Sensors to Find You a Vacant Spot
Alyson Wyers — September 18, 2014 — Autos
While there are other applications for your smartphone that can help you find a vacant spot in the car lot, this parking app does so without the use of expensive sensors. The New PocketParker app helps you find empty parking spaces by using the passive, portable sensor variety that already exist in your mobile device, rather than relying on the more costly ones that have to be installed in the individual parking spots.
Developed by a team at State University of New York at Buffalo, PocketParker uses crowdsourcing to lock down the specific spot location. Dubbed 'pocketsourcing' by the team, this idea uses the phone's accelerometer to measure and report activity. Once they have behavioral data, they can cross-reference the information with existing mapping apps and services such as OpenStreetMap.
Developed by a team at State University of New York at Buffalo, PocketParker uses crowdsourcing to lock down the specific spot location. Dubbed 'pocketsourcing' by the team, this idea uses the phone's accelerometer to measure and report activity. Once they have behavioral data, they can cross-reference the information with existing mapping apps and services such as OpenStreetMap.
Trend Themes
1. Crowdsourcing Parking Data - Using the phone's accelerometer to measure and report activity, this trend allows parking apps to crowdsource parking availability data, reducing the need for costly sensors.
2. Passive Sensor Innovation - Developing apps that utilize the passive, portable sensors already present in smartphones offers disruptive innovation opportunities in the parking technology industry.
3. Integration of Mapping Apps with Parking Apps - Integrating existing mapping apps and services with parking apps enables users to easily find vacant parking spots, without the need for expensive installations.
Industry Implications
1. Parking Technology - The parking technology industry can benefit from the disruptive innovation opportunities by incorporating crowdsourcing and passive sensor technology in their products and services.
2. Mobile App Development - Mobile app developers can explore the disruptive innovation opportunities in developing parking apps that leverage existing smartphone sensors to provide accurate and real-time parking information.
3. Mapping and Navigation Services - Mapping and navigation service providers can enhance their offerings by integrating with parking apps, allowing users to seamlessly find available parking spots.
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