Subscriber Discussion

How Can I Count / Track Cars In Multiple Lots?

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Andrew DeMattos
Oct 10, 2014
IPVMU Certified

A prospect recently asked me if our cameras could count cars and then suggest a specific lot for them to park in based on availability.

They are under the impression this can be accomplished via the camera and no third party integrated software. Also note this is an outdoor parking lot and not a parking garage.

Is IPVM aware of video analytics counting cars (in camera or appliance) and calculating available spaces then making recommendations?

Have you set up any car counting systems and tested them?

JH
John Honovich
Oct 10, 2014
IPVM

Andrew, interesting application.

A few questions:

  • The camera has to track both cars coming in and going out, correct? Presumably, it would 'know' how many cars total are inside and compare to the max capacity, yes?
  • How many entrances are there to the parking lot? If there are more than one, then the cameras need to 'share' info, right?
  • Are there multiple lots?

I have seen cameras that can count vehicles but not the full 'solution' they desire.

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Andrew DeMattos
Oct 11, 2014
IPVMU Certified

JOHN - Yes to all your questions. In my mind it would have to track incoming and outgoing cars and make comparisons. Yes more than one entrance per parking area means cameras would have to share the information. Yes this site would have many parking areas with several entrances and all outdoor.

I've seen cameras counting cars in a parking garage instead of using loop detectors and dealing with concrete and/or asphalt. I know video analytics can count cars on the highway and register license plates at high speeds.

What car counting applications and products are you aware of?

- Have you tested any?

- Do you plan on testing any?

- Have any IPVM members and integrators installed car counting analytics?

JH
John Honovich
Oct 11, 2014
IPVM

I don't even know of what you are asking for exists, that is the whole solution.

Let's see what others know of.

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Simone de Titta
Oct 11, 2014

Hi Andrew,

us (TechnoAware) we are releasing right in these days a specific video analytics module (VTrack-ParkingLot) right for this purpouse. The module is at the moment server-based, but it is foreseen to be integrated into Axis and Samsung cameras within 2015-Q1.

The function is allowing to draw unlimited virtual areas, one for each lot, and to report in real time the status of each (occupied/free). The function is thought for reporting the information to a third party platform/interface and this can be done in 2 ways: by http interrupt (sending at each lot's transition a notification of change of status), or by answering to an external polling (by cgi call). Other ways can be of course customized, if needed and worthy.

The product is available: you can contact me directly for a demo.

Cheers,

Simone

[TechnoAware]

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JH
John Honovich
Oct 13, 2014
IPVM

Andrew, do these lots utilize a ticketing system or is entry free / unregulated?

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Andrew DeMattos
Oct 13, 2014
IPVMU Certified

No ticketing system, no entry fee and yes it is open parking that is not regulated.

What cameras, VMS, and analytics do you know of that have anything to do with car counting and/or possible parking management?

TechnoAware is the only option that has a potential solution?

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Simone de Titta
Oct 25, 2014

TechnoAware is the only option that has a potential solution?

Unfortunately it was looking so, but luckly also AgentVi replied to you so I suppose you are more relieved now.....;))

Jokes aside, I have actually not understood which one of the following possible 2 options does your Customer need:

1) To have a status of each parking lot (occupied/free) in order, for example, to give to the user an information about where to go to park

or

2) To have "just" an estimation about the amount of free parking lots in that moment, but without caring about which specific one is free or not

In the first case you need something able to monitor and detect the status of the specific parking lot (the module I was writing about). Just a flow counting of course can't help in this case.

In the second case instead, or you could use the same above one as well; or, to save cameras, you can actually use a module counting the entry/exit of cars, as AgentVi correctly suggested (by the way: also us, we have the function Counting for that purpouse..). But beware, because the counting of cars when for example it's dark with the headlights on (since late afternoon to early morning) it's still a pretty challenging stuff, if using optical cameras. And when you go even little wrong in an aggregated flow counting at-the-gates, you might risk to accumulate a big error in the inside counting estimation.

Cheers,

Simone

[TechnoAware]

ZA
Zohar Adler
Oct 23, 2014

Hi Andrew,

Agent Vi has a solution that can support most of the requirements you have listed.

Please contact us for further details.

Best regards,

Zohar

JH
John Honovich
Oct 23, 2014
IPVM

Zohar, which requirements do you meet? Please explain what your solution can and cannot do?

ZA
Zohar Adler
Oct 23, 2014

John,

savVi can count the vehicles coming in and the vehicles going out of a parking lot. The data can be aggregated from several cameras from several locations. This can be done for indoor or outdoor cameras.

Suggesting an available parking lot will need to be done by an external application that will integrate with savVi and receive the counting data from the various cameras.

Zohar

JH
John Honovich
Oct 23, 2014
IPVM

Do you have such an application or is there a partner one already developed?

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