Conceptual framework of open parking space information for a smart city

Finding a parking space is frequently a problem for a driver getting into a city. Management of parking spaces is also a critical issue of city government. Thanks to the development of sensing technology, automatic sensing systems of parking spaces have been installed in many parking lots. Some of the collected parking space information is open to public and can be accessed via internet or mobile phones. For instance, we can get the parking space information from the variable-message sign (VMS) at the entrance of the parking lots of the mall, hospital and so on, or we can have the real-time parking space information of some outdoor parking lots or even the roadside parallel parking spaces. As more and more parking information that we can access, the problem of the interoperability comes behind. Nowadays, the public cannot access all the parking information from a single platform or frame. In this paper, we review different technologies used for sensing the parking space. Then, we employ the concept of open data, consider the demands of various industries and try to integrate various kinds of parking information in a frame. Besides, we class the parking space into different levels by considering two issues: First, the accuracy, detail, sampling rate, time delay and openness of the data. Second, the ability of guiding and communication of parking space. The features of availability, redistribution and universal of the data can maximize the value of the data and create valuable profits for the society. As the development of the smart city is thriving, the situation of being the same issue but containing different types of data, like parking information will become more and more common. We expect that this kind of concept in the paper can also apply for other issues.