Urbiotica: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Begins With the Deployment of More Than 3,000 Sensors for the Blue Zone Guidance System

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria starts its transformation towards a Smart City with the project “LPA Inteligencia Azul”, which was selected as beneficiary of the ” II Smart Cities Call for Proposals ” and aims to contribute to the “blue” growth of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Within this improvement plan there are a total of 19 projects, some of which are already underway, such as the blue zone parking guidance.

One of these projects is the smart parking project, which has successfully passed the pilot phase and is now starting its general deployment. The aim of this project is to inform drivers of available spaces in regulated parking areas. This avoids traffic congestion caused by cars circling in search of a free space.

In this initiative of the City Council of Las Palmas and Sagulpa, more than 3,000 blue zone parking spaces are sensorized with U-Spot single space detection sensors. These sensors detect and capture data in real time to transmit it to the user. The system allows users to be guided to the most available zones to greatly reduce parking search time.

This availability is transmitted to drivers through 21 variable information panels spread throughout the city, also deployed by Urbiotica, through which they will be directed to the areas with the highest availability. In addition, the system has been integrated with the LPAPark APP, so citizens can also check availability with their cell phones.

The sensorization of the blue zone parking spaces is one of the first actions of the “LPA Inteligencia Azul” project. Thanks to the Indra SA-Satocan joint venture, this initiative has been implemented to turn the city into a Smart City.

How does the system work?

1. The driver goes to a free space guided by the information displayed on the variable signage panels or on the LPAPark APP. When he parks his vehicle, the U-Spot sensor detects his presence and sends the information to the platform.
2. The platform collects the data and sends the updated information to the panels and APPs, which in this case will indicate one less available seat.
3. When the vehicle is removed, the U-Spot sensor no longer detects its presence, so it sends the information back to the system indicating that the space is once again unoccupied.
4. From the U-Admin platform, the manager can manage the published information, as well as configure, supervise and consult all the system information.

Benefits for both the city and the citizen

The new parking space detection system brings benefits to both the city and the citizen. For users, it means real-time information 24 hours a day on the availability of parking spaces in the area. This can be consulted through the panels or with their mobile device from the LPAPark APP. In addition, it drastically reduces the time spent by the driver to park, as he is directed directly to the areas with availability.

For the city it means a significant reduction in pollution and CO2 emissions by reducing unnecessary traffic of vehicles looking for parking, making it a more efficient city.

Reducing traffic increases the attractiveness of the city and citizens enjoy cleaner air and less chaos. It also stimulates local commerce, since citizens are more inclined to travel to the center knowing that they will find free parking spaces.

About Urbiotica

Urbiotica was established in 2008 with a very clear foundational vision: technology based on wireless sensor networks will transform how we manage our cities.

Urbiotica leads the revolution of the Internet of Things applied to Smart Cities. The projects implemented in more than 20 countries position us as the leading technology company in the development of smart solutions based on sensor systems, designed to manage urban space more efficiently and sustainably.