© Toshiyuki IMAI
© Toshiyuki IMAI

Worldsensing begins smart parking project

Spain and UK-based company Worldsensing develops wireless sensing technologies for the industrial and smart cities sectors. Having received Horizon 2020 funding, it is ready to begin its FastPRK-2 project.

Funded through the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) under the EU’s framework programme, the FastPRK-2 project was applied for within the SME-Instrument programme under the small business innovation research for transport and smart cities mobility topic.

A highly competitive sector, 4,835 transport project proposals have been presented since 2014, with Worldsensing rewarded for the ‘quality and professionalism’ of its application gaining a total score of close to 99%.

Ignasi Vilajosana, CEO of Worldsensing, said: “The FastPRK-2 project is a fundamental element in our strategy. We appreciate the trust of the European Commission and the EASME. We’re proud of the work of our innovation team and we are fully confident about the value that FastPRK-2 will deliver: it will be one of the most advanced on-street parking management solutions.”

Europe is pushing for innovative technology to improve urban transportation and to realise its smart city vision. The increase in urban populations is straining resources, so, in order to address these challenges, local governments are looking to sustainable infrastructures.

The FastPRK-2 project focuses on smart parking systems to improve regulated parking areas with the use of occupancy sensors that provide additional features and services to parking management companies. Such technology also supports drivers by reducing the time spent looking for parking spaces, simultaneously improving air quality and reducing traffic volumes.

The proposed infrastructure uses cutting-edge sensor technology and software tools for optimising transport management, minimising maintenance costs and streamlining operational processes.

Its predecessor, FastPRK, has been deployed in Barcelona, Spain, Miami, US, and Dubai, UAE.