Ford And IBM Are Working Together To Track Available Parking Spots

Anybody who lives in a big city and owns a car is well aware that it’s not that easy to find an available parking spot. You usually have to drive around the block a couple of times before one opens up. Driving around for a parking spot eats up your fuel and it’s damaging for the environment as well due to the extra emissions which is why Ford and IBM are teaming up to track available parking spots.

The two companies are collaborationg on a pilot program called the Smart Mobility Experimentation Platform, it’s going to collect small 10-to-15 second bits of data to observe patterns in commuter habits. Collecting and analyzing all of this data will hopefully make street parking and shuttle services more efficient and may also alert people to alternate routes and subway delays.

“When a driver pulls out of a parking space, streaming analytics can indicate to another motorist that spot has become available—allowing him to avoid wasting fuel driving around looking for a place to park,” the companies write in a joint press release, adding that these messages will tell drivers not only when an open space is available but precisely where it’s located.

Ford is relying on IBMs resources like its cloud technology to scale up its pilot projects. This project obviously won’t go live everywhere immediately, it’s going to be extensively tested to ensure that the technology works as it should and only then we might see it in some form on public roads. It can’t be said for sure how long it will take for that to happen.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Transportation
Tags: ford, ibm