Magnetometer-enabled smart parking: a new approach to urban mobility

Abstract

The current situation in the Kampala Metropolitan area is characterised by a severe lack of organised parking space. This has led to widespread time and fuel wastage, congestion and disorganization amongst drivers while looking for parking space in the city. This study addresses this challenge by inves- tigating the development of a magnetometer enabled smart parking system. Our objective is to design and develop a system that provides real-time in- formation regarding open parking slots to all registered users via a mobile application. The research will employ a combination of embedded systems development, by using magnetometer sensors to detect the presence of ve- hicles and mobile application development to create a system that easily keeps track of the occupancy state of a parking slot. The successful imple- mentation of this system has the potential to significantly improve traffic flow, reduce carbon emissions and enhance the overall parking experience for drivers in Kampala.