Leveraging information in vehicular parking games

Our paper approaches the parking assistance service in urban environments as an instance of service provision in non-cooperative network environments. We propose normative abstractions for the way drivers pursue parking space and the way they respond to partial or complete information for parking demand and supply as well as specific pricing policies on public and private parking facilities. The drivers are viewed as strategic agents who make rational decisions attempting to minimize the cost of the acquired parking spot. We formulate the resulting games as resource selection games and derive their equilibria under different expressions of uncertainty about the overall parking demand. The efficiency of the equilibrium states is compared against the optimal assignment that could be determined by a centralized entity and conditions are derived for minimizing the related price of anarchy value. Our results provide useful hints for the pricing and practical management of on-street and private parking resources. More importantly, they exemplify counterintuitive less-is-more effects about the way information availability modulates the service cost, which underpin general competitive service provision settings and contribute to the better understanding of effective information mechanisms

Design and development of smart parking system based on fog computing and internet of things

Current parking systems employ a single gateway‐centered solution (i.e., cloud) for data processing which leads to the possibility of a single point of failure, data loss, and high delays. Moreover, the parking‐spot selection process considers criteria that do not maximize parking utilization and revenue. The pricing strategy does not achieve high revenue because a fixed pricing rate is utilized. To address these issues, this paper proposes a smart parking system based on the Internet of Things (IoT) that provides useful information to drivers and parking administrators about available parking spots and related services such as parking navigation, reservation, and availability estimation. A multi‐layer architecture is developed that consists of multiple sensor nodes, and fog and cloud computing layers. The acquired parking data are processed through fog computing nodes to facilitate obtaining the required real‐time parking data. A novel algorithm to obtain the optimal parking spot with the minimum arrival time is also presented. Proof‐of‐concept implementation and simulation evaluations are conducted to validate the system performance. The findings show that the system reduces the parking arrival time by 16%–46% compared to current parking systems. In addition, the revenue is increased for the parking authority by 10%–15%

The Effect of Different Operations Modes on Science Capabilities During the 2010 Desert-RATS Test: Insights from the Geologist Crewmembers

The 2010 Desert RATS field test utilized two Space Exploration Vehicles (prototype planetary rovers) and four crewmembers (2 per rover) to conduct a geologic traverse across northern Arizona while testing continuous and twice-per-day communications paired with operation modes of separating and exploring individually (Divide & Conquer) and exploring together (Lead & Follow), respectively. This report provides qualitative conclusions from the geologist crewmembers involved in this test as to how these modes of communications and operations affected our ability to conduct field geology. Each mode of communication and operation provided beneficial capabilities that might be further explored for future Human Spaceflight Missions to other solar system objects. We find that more frequent interactions between crews and an Apollo-style Science Team on the Earth best enables scientific progress during human exploration. However, during multiple vehicle missions, this communication with an Earth-based team of scientists, who represent "more minds on the problem", should not come at the exclusion of (or significantly decrease) communication between the crewmembers in different vehicles who have the "eyes on the ground". Inter-crew communications improved when discussions with a backroom were infrequent. Both aspects are critical and cannot be mutually exclusive. Increased vehicle separation distances best enable encounters with multiple geologic units. However, seemingly redundant visits by multiple vehicles to the same feature can be utilized to provide improved process-related observations about the development and modification of the local terrain. We consider the value of data management, transfer, and accessibility to be the most important lesson learned. Crews and backrooms should have access to all data and related interpretations within the mission in as close to real-time conditions as possible. This ensures that while on another planetary surface, crewmembers are as educated as possible with respect to the observations and data they will need to collect at any moment

Automation system for finding parking places

The article examines the prospects for using an automation system to search for parking spaces. This system is aimed at solving the problems that drivers face when searching for available parking spaces, especially in crowded urban areas near residential buildings or shopping centers. A comprehensive literature review and problem analysis revealed existing shortcomings associated with traditional parking search methods: their localized scale and fragmented nature. The article continues the analysis of existing solutions, exploring such well-known mobile applications as ParkMobile and SpotHero, sensor-based and IoT systems, as well as integrated parking technologies. It also provides a comprehensive overview of the technologies on which this type of system is based - GPS, real-time data analysis and sensor networks to simplify parking. The research and analysis identified the innovative potential of automation systems to improve parking management in urban areas. The ability of technology to optimize the use of parking spaces and the entire parking process in general, as well as increase overall urban mobility. The proposed automation system, as an alternative option for searching for parking spaces, has shown high accuracy in predicting the availability of free spaces, providing drivers with real-time information for making informed decisions. A preliminary assessment of the system's operation was carried out based on user feedback and showed good results and further ways to improve the proposed solution. In addition, the system's integration capabilities and user-friendly interface ensure hassle-free and convenient parking in crowded residential areas of the city. Ref. 6, pic. 4, tabl.

The Strategic Value of Public Sector Analytics: A Framework and a Showcase Study

The public value of information technology has received increasing attention in recent years. While most research focuses on mediating e-government technologies, we investigate the strategic value of big data and analytics in public sector decision-making. Using the strategic triangle of value, legitimacy, and operational capacity as a starting point, we derive a framework to assess the strategic value of public sector analytics, along with six guiding questions that structure the assessment process. We apply the framework to an illustrative example of a spatial analytics application developed to optimize strategic investments in urban electric vehicle charging infrastructure. While our results show that analytics helps cities to manage the trade-off between economic and ecological value more efficiently, we also discuss other types of public value, such as health and social equity. We further outline how analytics may improve the legitimacy of public sector decisionmaking through transparency and objective, data-driven criteria. As a final point, we suggest that collaborations with academia to create lightweight analytics applications may aid in strengthening organizational readiness for the use of big data and analytics in public sector organizations