Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and ST Engineering today announced the launch of Singapore’s first barrier-free Smart Car Park, an innovative solution which makes parking easier and more convenient across NTU’s multiple campuses.
The Smart Car Park System is a ticketless and barrier-free parking solution developed by the Electronics arm of ST Engineering. Paired with the GoParkin mobile app, the system integrates the latest technologies such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition, data analytics and mobile payment technologies to help motorists overcome issues encountered in conventional car park systems, while delivering car park operators significant operational and maintenance cost-savings and key insights on the usage of their car parks.
The Smart Car Park System is the University’s latest initiative in line with its NTU Smart Campus vision of harnessing digital and tech-enabled solutions to create better learning and living experiences at the University.
“The new Smart Car Park Platform is an example of yet another innovation that improves everyday life through technology-enabled solutions.” says Professor Subra Suresh, NTU president. “This is in line with the NTU Smart Campus vision whereby we harness the power of technology in a sustainable manner to improve the quality of life of members of our community. The Smart Car Park technology will enable us to enhance the experience of visiting, living and working at NTU for our students, employees and guests. It will also give us better insights and data analytics to improve our services while reducing cost.”
Hassle-free convenience for motorists
To benefit from the Smart Car Park features, motorists must register via the GoParkin mobile app and provide the required details and credit/debit card information to their account. When motorists use a Smart Car Park, their registered number plate will be recognised, providing them with seamless entry and exit. The correct parking fee will be calculated at exit and billed to their account.
The system also aggregates parking data and provides real-time information on car park occupancy via the GoParkin app. Motorists are pointed to the closest available parking spots with car park rates, saving them time in searching for available car park lots. Motorists can also conveniently apply and pay for season parking via the app.
Significant cost savings and insights on car park operations
In addition, the Smart Car Park System offers significant savings to NTU by reducing operational and maintenance costs. The cloud-based platform enables centralised management and control of car park operations, providing the University with an overview of parking occupancy records and an asset management module to help identify preventive maintenance that can extend the value of equipment and prevent costly downtime.
The system’s Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR/ALPR) technology uses video recognition and analytics, which is more cost-effective to maintain compared to the conventional Electronic Parking System, which uses the In-Vehicle Unit and cash card for processing parking fee payments. As the mobile app allows motorists to make their parking payments remotely at any time, it eliminates the need for physical payment stations and barriers at the car parks.
“Smart Car Parks manage parking in a more effective and sustainable way, reducing air pollution and traffic congestion which improve motorists’ experience,” says Ravinder Singh, president of ST Engineering’s Electronics arm. “Beyond these, insights on car park usage can potentially generate new value-added services for motorists and transform business models for car park operators. Smart Car Parks are integral to the smart cities of the future, and ST Engineering is proud to play a part in advancing NTU’s Smart Campus vision.”
The barrier-free Smart Car Park System has started operating at three car parks on NTU’s main Jurong campus. The system will be progressively implemented at all 59 car parks in the University’s campuses including Novena and one-north, and will cover more than 4,000 parking lots when completed by the end of 2021. Besides developing the Smart Car Park System, ST Engineering’s Electronics arm will provide managed services for all NTU car parks.
