Smart parking sensors are tested in VEF innovation district
Latvian startup Parkdroid in cooperation with the innovation movement VEFRESH has started testing new parking sensors in the VEF district. This is the first VEFRESH cooperation project with a local startup since a memorandum was signed with the Riga City Council and the Ministry of Economics in June on marking the VEF district as a pilot territory for smart city solutions.
This week, six smart parking sensors were deployed in the VEF district that can detect the availability of parking space on the basis of changes in the geomagnetic field. The sensors can transmit the information in real-time, thus enabling drivers to know the availability of particular parking spaces in advance, which can improve the driving experience as well as reduce carbon emissions. “We started working on the idea of parking sensors in 2018. Our goal from the beginning was to become the highest quality sensor manufacturer, so testing in real urban conditions is important for the company as it allows to hone the accuracy of the solution’s base algorithm and adapt it to the clients’ needs,” says Rūdolfs Gedra, COO at Parkdroid.
Sensor testing is just one step in Parkdroid's development plan: “In the near future, we will start developing a parking statistics platform that would allow parking managers to track traffic data for each parking space and parking lot as a whole, as well as use this information to match paid parking prices to demand or to identify drivers who have stopped in unauthorized places. At the same time, we are also thinking about the next product - an automated parking lock, equipped with a number recognition camera and the possibility to reserve a parking space at your own time. The product would be an additional solution to the existing sensor,” reveals R. Gedra.
In the development of innovations, it is important that Parkdroid sensors are able to use the new-gen data transmission forms - NarrowBand IoT (NB-IoT), which in the VEF district is provided by VEFRESH partner LMT. “LMT is currently the only operator in Latvia that offers the latest Internet of Things network in NB-IoT commercial mode. This allows data transmission to be provided even in hard-to-reach places – freezers, basements of the buildings, and elsewhere. It also allows to extend the life of the batteries by up to ten years and allows the equipment to have a separate communication channel so that it is not affected by other Internet consumption. The Internet of Things will develop rapidly with the capabilities of the 5G mobile network. As Latvia is one of the first countries in the world to introduce 5G, LMT encourages companies to use this opportunity to develop exportable Internet of Things innovations. We are open to research and development, ” says Jēkabs Groskaufmanis, the company's innovation project manager.
Cooperation and support for Baltic innovators will continue to be an integral part of the VEFRESH innovation movement. Viesturs Celmiņš, the head of VEFRESH, reveals that cooperation partners are not only start-ups but also representatives of corporations and the public sector. “Our partner Accenture has developed an artificial intelligence and computer vision solution for parking management, which is planned to be installed in the VEF district, and the Riga Energy Agency has created a vision for the first mobility point in Riga, which is planned to be piloted in the VEF district in the first half of 2020. The VEFRESH movement also wants to promote not only innovation but also the exchange of knowledge between companies. Therefore, on September 12, as part of the Startup Day, we are organizing contact establishment sessions, where startups can meet with mentors from several large companies in the VEF district.”
Companies such as the insurance joint-stock company BALTA, Tieto Latvia, Solvay Business Services Latvia, LMT, Accenture, and Nordigen have confirmed their participation in the event with mentors, ” says V. Celmiņš.
It has already been announced that the VEF district is planned to be developed as a smart city pilot territory, where the latest technological solutions will be tested and introduced. The local companies have created an innovation movement VEFRESH. In June, a joint memorandum was signed with the Ministry of Economics and Riga City Council. The members of the movement have committed to transform this district into a local, national and regional innovations centre for urban environment.
The participants and supporters of the innovation movement VEFRESH are technology companies LMT, Accenture, real estate developer New Hanza Capital, the city in the city Jaunā Teika, as well as VEF concert hall and culture centre.