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Finnish Parking Pilot Taps RFID Tags and NFC Phones
The pilot includes equipping two parking-enforcement officers with NFC-enabled mobile phones. Traveling through the Oulu city center, the officers tap the phone against each windshield to receive confirmation that the car's owner is being billed for parking time. Users can also access their parking history on a Web site hosted by ToP Tunniste, which is providing the software for phone reporting, as well as the garage gate interrogator and the back-end interface between the mobile phones and the Web.
Oulu drivers not involved in the pilot typically use cash to pay for metered parking, or credit cards at garages, says Janne Mustonen, project manager for the Oulu Innovation Environment Project. The city-run project oversees this pilot and studies mobile network opportunities to improve city services. The technology used for the trial enables drivers to forego using coins, tickets or credit cards. "An important factor for those parking their cars using the NFC solution is that a parking fee is equal to real parking time," Mustonen explains, "which means that one doesn't have to pay any extra for parking or worry about running out of parking time."
Technical research firm VTT is collecting and analyzing user feedback. "People participating in the SmartParking pilot have already told us that they find it very practical and easy—as simple as a touch," Mustonen says. "From the city's point of view, the NFC solution allows us to provide better services, as well as receive real-time information of how people really use street and garage parking. This is essential information in order to develop the city's parking services."
Still, Tossavainen notes, full implementation of the SmartParking system may yet be years ahead. "There are not many NFC-enabled phones in use in Finland," he says. Tossavainen estimates that at least half of the mobile phone users will have NFC capability within five years. In the meantime, the city hopes to examine other uses for the technology, such as allowing parking officials to monitor when and where parking is heaviest, and to send notifications to drivers via their NFC-enabled phones, leading them to the nearest empty parking space. If conducted, however, such research would take place in a separate or later phase of this pilot.
Oulu drivers not involved in the pilot typically use cash to pay for metered parking, or credit cards at garages, says Janne Mustonen, project manager for the Oulu Innovation Environment Project. The city-run project oversees this pilot and studies mobile network opportunities to improve city services. The technology used for the trial enables drivers to forego using coins, tickets or credit cards. "An important factor for those parking their cars using the NFC solution is that a parking fee is equal to real parking time," Mustonen explains, "which means that one doesn't have to pay any extra for parking or worry about running out of parking time."
Still, Tossavainen notes, full implementation of the SmartParking system may yet be years ahead. "There are not many NFC-enabled phones in use in Finland," he says. Tossavainen estimates that at least half of the mobile phone users will have NFC capability within five years. In the meantime, the city hopes to examine other uses for the technology, such as allowing parking officials to monitor when and where parking is heaviest, and to send notifications to drivers via their NFC-enabled phones, leading them to the nearest empty parking space. If conducted, however, such research would take place in a separate or later phase of this pilot.
