Abstract:
Parking is dynamic. One minute a parking space is engaged and the next ten or so minutes it's
vacant. Finding a parking space has thus become a nightmare in many cities. There are many
Parking Guidance Information Systems, PGIS meant to alleviate a driver's pain of finding or
reserving a parking space but they operate as standalone systems and therefore disseminate
information only to a selected few at a given time. The aim of this study is to have a
Geographic Information System, GIS that will enhance the components of a PGIS so that it
runs on a mobile phone platform thereby allowing a driver to access parking information
whenever and wherever he is. The GIS-based PGIS will provide the driver with a view of the
near real time parking situation of his destination, allow him to reserve a space as well as
have his smart phone enabled to notify him once he approaches a vacant space or even
perform routing functions. Thirty parking spaces were collected within Jomo Kenyatta
University of Agriculture and Technology, (JKUAT) classified, mapped and published in a
web map server. A Quick Response Code, QR was installed on each parking space and a
SMS server established to monitor the reports and requests of drivers. An Android smart
phone application was created that was able to reap parking information from the map server.
The system greatly reduced the trial and error involved while in search of a parking space
thus increasing a driver's confidence, cutting down on the amount of parking time and the
emotional stress associated with finding a parking space.
Keywords-Android, Parking, PGIS, QR Codes
