Intelligent parking reservation service on the Internet

The described intelligent parking service is a part of an ITS (intelligent transportation system) in which parking facilities are conceived of in terms of various new functions which they can provide. This service does not simply manage the internal operations of a parking facility; rather, it is designed to be compatible with a wide range of aspects that are intertwined with parking facilities. One of the features of the system developed by NTT is a parking reservation service that allows drivers to reserve a parking spot through the Internet when a parking space is available. The system enables motorists to find available parking spaces at their destinations easily and quickly by using the Internet. When used together with a smart card, the system can provide the motorists with recognition and payment services. This paper depicts the service concept of intelligent parking reservation systems and overviews the prototype developed by NTT.