Implementation and characterization of a smart parking system based on 3-axis magnetic sensors

Sensor networks based on magnetic devices offer an attractive low-cost alternative for parking monitoring. The conceived system is composed of a network of tri-axial magnetic sensors, located on the pavement in order to detect vehicles. Cars are detected by measuring the change in the earth's magnetic field caused by the presence of a vehicle near the sensor. The node has been characterized in terms of performance, spatial resolution, and robustness. We have also proposed extensive experimental results demonstrating the effectiveness of our implementation in order to monitor the status of the parking area.