Santiago de Compostela Becomes A Smart City

Due to a large number of tourists throughout the year and the lack of parking places in the downtown area, the citizens of Santiago de Compostela had a very difficult time parking when driving to the city center. The city Council commissioned the project with the aim of speeding up the parking of vehicles to reduce the unnecessary traffic caused by drivers in search of free spaces, as well as the associated pollution.

The problem has been solved thanks to the installation of 82 single space detection sensors deployed in 4 outdoor parking areas, that detect the occupancy of the parking spaces to transmit the availability in real-time to users through the ParkTime APP. Now drivers are guided directly to the free spaces.

The M2M sensors chosen for this project greatly simplify the installation, and send the collected data directly through the mobile network to the platform. The data is sent to the client and integrated there into their system through the Urbiotica API. The Client’s system concentrates this data, together with the other information gathered from the indoor parking lots. This allows them to transmit the global information of the availability of all the parking areas to the users, through their dynamic message signs installed on the street to guide users to the areas with free spots.

How does the system work?

Urbiotica’s solution equips each parking space with a sensor in order to detect if it’s occupied or not, and transmit this information to users through the APP or dynamic message signs so that they can decide which zone is better to head to. The M2M sensor, is a wireless and autonomous sensor that uses magnetic technology to detect in real time the occupancy of a parking space, as well as the duration of parking.

• The user drives to a free parking space guided by the information displayed on the APP or street displays and parks the vehicle. The U-Spot M2M sensor detects this arrival and sends the information to the platform.
• The platform collects the data and sends the updated information to the panels with the new availability, which in this case will indicate one less available space.
• When the vehicle is removed, U-Spot M2M no longer detects its presence. It sends information again so that the system transmits that the space is unoccupied again.
• In the U-Admin platform, the manager can manage the published information, as well as set-up, monitor, and consult all the system information.

There Are Several Benefits Offered To the City and Citizens:

For the City

• The use of parking spaces is optimized thanks to the speed up of parking.
• It avoids unnecessary circulation in search of a free space and therefore the traffic and chaos generated by it.
• Encourages the use of public transport and other mobility options.
• Stimulates trade at the city center thanks to the improved user experience. Making it easy favors the willingness of citizens to move around, and increases the affluence to stores in the area.
• The solution reduces traffic and pollution, therefore increases citizen satisfaction and well-being.

For Users:

• It drastically reduces the time spent looking for parking. Drivers are guided directly to free spaces, which means they save time and discomfort.
• Drivers can plan their time and route better based on the availability information provided in the APP and message signs on-street that let them know the occupancy status of each zone.
• They live and move around in a city with less pollution.
• It improves their overall well-being.

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.