Nouvelles

Cette année, gtechna a tenu son événement annuel de Noël à la fin du mois de novembre, dans une ambiance festive remplie de plaisir et de joie!

Au cours des derniers mois, gtechna a obtenu un contrat stimulant avec la Sureté du Québec. L’entreprise a également participé à une activité de bénévolat sur le canal Lachine à Montréal.

À la suite d'un appel d'offres public, la Sûreté du Québec a accordé à gtechna un contrat pour le déploiement d'un système de citation électronique sécurisé basé sur l'informatique en nuage afin d'automatiser l'application des infractions routières et la déclaration des accidents.

Nous vous présentons ici les quatre raisons d'utiliser Sourcewell qui vous aideront à résoudre vos problèmes de recrutement.

Nous avons rencontré Emilio et l'avons interrogé sur plusieurs questions relatives à la sécurité de l'information. Nous avons ainsi pu nous faire une idée de la valeur ajoutée qu'il compte apporter en tant que spécialiste de la sécurité chez gtechna. Lisez la suite pour en savoir plus :

It has been an exciting time here at gtechna recently as we’ve been celebrating our 30th Anniversary. To add to that excitement, we are pleased to announce our newest Vice President of Operations, David Alvarez. David is no stranger to the brand, having worked for gtechna as a highly accomplished and revered Senior Project Manager for over eight years prior to this new role. We look forward to witnessing David transition his industry experience, institutional knowledge, and customer-centric focus to his new position seamlessly. In the meantime, and in the spirit of announcing our Vice President of Operations, here’s an exclusive look at David’s commitment to a top-notch customer experience.

Establishing Ticket by Mail in your municipality has a lot of advantages. On top of increasing compliance and boosting the efficiency of enforcement, it can also improve the convenience of payments and even help keep other municipal services running smoothly. But just because it has myriad benefits doesn’t mean getting it all in place is quick and easy. To move your initiative forward, you’ll not only need a few things in order but also the right laws on your side, which often means getting buy-in at the state level, and that alone can be a tricky task. So to help get you there, we’ve put together this blog post so you can better understand what obstacles stand in your way and how to best get around them. State and local laws Before you can implement anything at the municipal level, you first need to understand whether or not your Ticket by Mail initiative satisfies pre-existing state laws. The most important question you need to explore is whether or not there are legal requirements for providing service on a ticket. Some states may have no prior language or laws that govern how your municipality handles that process, while many others may be strict or specific in how that issuance needs to occur—such as having to physically issue a ticket and leave it on the vehicle. In the case of the former, you may face little pushback from the state level and be able to move your efforts forward with minimal resistance. However, those who are subject to specific state laws may have to go as far as getting those laws amended or outright abolished. If you’re one of the latter, you’ll first need to know whether your state operates on Home Rule or Dillon’s Rule, both of which determine how much legal autonomy your municipality has in terms of governance. Home Rule is generally far more forgiving, and often allows individual municipalities to establish laws how they see fit, while Dillon’s Rule often requires state approval for certain changes or initiatives. Many states operate with different rules at different levels, so it’s best to identify exactly which rule applies to your municipality type—then make plans to address your state representatives should any laws need to be changed. Data Needs In addition to having all the right laws in place, you’ll also need to make sure you have efficient access to DMV data—primarily mailing addresses—so you can quickly and easily mail out physical tickets to the proper recipients. If your parking enforcement agency is part of the police force, you should already have access to this data through the department. However, a vast majority of parking authorities are separate entities and need to secure that data through other means. It’s best to start by looking into what the legal requirements are for accessing that data, then getting in touch with the right people at the state level to get approval. Much like regulations for providing service on ticket issuance, accessing DMV data may also take getting state laws changed or amended. Positioning Your Ticket by Mail Initiative While many municipalities may be lucky enough to face only minor pushback in their efforts to establish a Ticket by Mail system, plenty of others will have to jump through a lot of hoops to get it to the finish line—especially if that means changing state laws. To ensure you have enough leverage when addressing state representatives, you’ll want to put together a list of questions you’ll likely be asked and have compelling answers at the ready to maximize your chances of getting buy-in. On top of gathering up case studies of other cities that have successfully implemented a Ticket by Mail system, it’s important to examine how your initiative will affect everyone involved, from constituents to parking enforcement personnel to state legislators. Try to consider it from their perspective so you can properly address any concerns they might have. Some examples of important questions to ask are: •How will this change make payments and appeals easier for constituents? •How will Ticket By Mail make parking enforcement jobs easier? •How will these changes affect representatives at the state level? There are plenty of ways to generate leverage for what you’re putting forth, so make sure you spend the time addressing these questions before you attempt to move anything forward or you’ll end up back at the drawing board before the picture is complete. Summary While we’ve covered many of the obstacles you’ll likely encounter, there’s a lot more to the process of getting your Ticket by Mail system approved. However, with a good forethought, preparation, and the right resources, you’ll be able to push your initiative through and set a new standard for your municipality’s parking enforcement. For a more in-depth look at how the technology you’re proposing creates a wider set of benefits, what laws you need to consider, and how to approach state representatives and create leverage, feel free to click the button below to check out our white paper.

So, you’re looking for a parking solution for your municipality. You’ve explored some possibilities and identified that it could really benefit from going digital—quick, secure communication systems complete with mobile eTicketing, virtual permits and processing, maybe even License Plate Recognition and digital chalking.  But standing in your way is one necessary but notoriously lengthy and laborious process: the Request for Proposal (RFP).  The case for alternative procurement If you’ve ever had to see an RFP through from start to finish, you know exactly how and why it can be a massive pain. From defining requirements and drafting the document to conducting evaluations, making a selection, and finalizing the contract, every step takes significant time and consideration.  At its core, the traditional RFP process poses three big drawbacks: It’s long and drawn-out. It commonly includes information unnecessary to finding resolution, which often means wasted time and money when compiling and drafting. It neglects to acknowledge overlap between similar entities with similar needs. Long story short, RFPs are far too bureaucratic for their own good. While they do a great job of establishing standardization for response, creating a clear outline of the objective and criteria, and providing equal opportunity for submission, they’re just too clunky to be efficient. More times than not, undertaking this process saddles the writer and/or project owner with a lot of hoops to jump through and a timeline that’s more of a hindrance than it is helpful.  While it may be standard practice and provide benefits in the long run, the RFP process can often distract from your core issue of finding a parking solution that will improve your city’s revenue, meet compliance, and make parking more efficient and convenient for both constituents and enforcement alike.  Fortunately, there’s a much better way to meet those needs that doesn’t involve having to go through all the laborious RFP procedures: NPPGov.  The NPPGov Solution: What it is and how it works NPPGov is a national cooperative procurement organization that offers publicly-solicited contracts to government entities in an effort to shortcut the often lengthy and convoluted RFP process.  With the help of a Lead Public Agency (LPA), NPPGov allows procurement teams to easily piggyback on previously established contracts—which means no drafting, issuing, creating criteria, evaluating, or handling the intricacies of the paperwork.  So how does it all work? Let’s take a look. Let’s stick to a realistic example you’re already likely facing: finding a comprehensive parking solution for your municipality. Previously, this would mean your procurement manager would have to follow the traditional RFP process: outline the city’s needs, create requirements for materials and service, develop a system of awards to qualify the most appropriate candidates, draft the document, go through the evaluation process, make a final selection, and complete the contract.  By contrast, NPPGov and their accompanying LPA can do all of this legwork for you. After signing up for a free NPPGov membership online, you’re able to explore all previously established contracts that have already been approved through the RFP process. This means the appropriate Lead Public Agency has already created a Request for Proposal for a comprehensive parking enforcement solution, created an award system, publicly solicited applicants, selected the most appropriate candidates, and created contracts for them.  Since several vendors are often selected, you’d simply need to explore contracts under the relevant category, seek out contracts most applicable to your municipality’s needs, review any necessary resources—such as a synopsis, the RFP itself, any reference letters from other municipalities, or the vendor’s website—and make a selection.  Then, once you sign an intergovernmental agreement with the LPA, you’re able to piggyback on the most appropriate contract, getting you from defining your need to signing a final contract and maximizing your time and effort in finding a solution, all in far less time. hbspt.cta.load(154767, '9f07c99a-0cc2-4939-9310-5aff74c8791c', {});

It actually started in the mid 30’s in Oklahoma. Yes, it was the creation of the parking meter. The parking meter encouraged short term parking for the customers of local store merchants. Prior to that, on-street parking spaces were being used by employees for daily parking. There was no turnover of on-street spaces for a store merchant’s paying customers. “Turnover” is the key to parking management. The term “turnover” means the number of times a parking space is used throughout the day. The more the space is turned over, the better utilization of that space. Today, turnover of on-street parking spaces is critical to the survival of merchant businesses located in a city core. The time limit zone On street parking spaces in time delimited zones are another method of encouraging turnover of parking spaces typically regulated by posted signs allowing the parker to stay within a space for a set period of time. Governmental agencies use this method as a way of controlling on-street parking. Some cities use the time limit zone in lieu of the capital expenditure of buying parking meters. Time restriction can vary from as little as a fifteen minutes for a loading zone to as high as four hours perhaps, near a movie theatre or large department store. Each agency sets up its restricted zone based on the particular need of that block in order to provide the maximum turnover for those spaces. For example, a bank will need a shorter time zone than a restaurant. Traditional chalking Overall, the effect of chalking on parking system management, and vehicle turnover, is a good one. However, many cities today still apply chalking in the same way as years past, by actually chalking the tire along the street with a piece of white chalk. The on-foot parking officer would mark a small line with white chalk on the rear tire at a particular spot. The plate number and the time of day would be recorded on paper. Once the officer completed marking his/her beat of time limit zones, that footprint is retraced to begin what is known as ‘picking up your marks’. In order to determine whether or not to issue a parking ticket, the officer would verify a list of plate numbers that were past the allocated time and check for the chalk mark to confirm that the vehicle did not leave that space. An ordinance might typically state that a car move within a given time limit. This could mean that the car only has to move an inch. A loop hole such as this means that the vehicle owner would simply have to make sure the chalk mark on the road and the tire did not match. eChalking using the handheld computer The advent of mobile computers for ticket issuance provided a new method of time limit marking. A new word appeared in the industry – eChalking or Electronic Chalking. The handheld provided an input screen to record a plate number, location (address) and possibly additional fields. The system would automatically time and user stamp the eChalk. In most cities, the need to mark a tire was eliminated. The handheld also provided a new key component – an alert! If a plate was re-entered, the handheld software would alert the officer that the vehicle was already eChalked, where, and when. The officer would make the decision based on current location if the vehicle was still within the time limit zone or whether to consider this eChalk as a new record. Some manual processes were argued to be quicker than the handheld but the benefits became evident once an digital record of electronic chalking's history was available to the parking enforcement officer and manager for reporting and, to the courts for adjudication. The officer’s word now included the availability of electronically captured information as a significant step forward in terms of adjudicative evidence and the reduction in the number of requests for adjudicative hearings.       Related articles: Parking management systems: A history of eChalking | Part 2

Earlier parking management systems – pay & display parking When Aspen, Colorado adopted the first Pay-and-Display system for on-street parking in the United States in the mid-90s, local merchants were outraged.  Business owners and many of the thousands of commuting employees staged a “honk in” to protest the city’s decision to change from time-restricted, free parking to some unusual form of pay parking from Europe called Pay-and-Display.  But the complaints were not about having to display a receipt on the dashboard, or having to walk back to your vehicle in the snow.  The complaint was about change, and fear that customers of this vibrant, upscale business community would not accept such a drastic change. Months later the pain was mostly over and most business owners were thankful for the newly-created turnover of prime parking spaces which previously were occupied all day with non-paying employees of local restaurants, shops and lodging facilities.  The city was touting higher sales tax revenues, further showing that the implementation of pay parking was good for business, plus its mostly-empty city parking garage soon had a waiting list of local employees looking for an off-street, affordable alternative for parking.  Within the next decade, hundreds of cities in the US followed the Aspen model, from New York City to Chicago to Seattle and many smaller cities in between.  The benefits of being able to offer a credit card payment over the old coin-only style meters and the efficiency of having one meter manage 10 spaces instead of just one space were apparent.  Customers learned to accept that parking was a 3 step process: park, pay, and display.  Enforcement by foot, with sharp-eyed PEOs peering into every windshield could now spot an expired receipt or a vehicle with no receipt displayed from half a block away. Improving experience: Advantages of pay by plate over pay & display parking “Pittsburgh was now a world-class parking city, and other US cities took notice. Many of the requests for proposals for multi-space parking meters in 2012 ask for Pay-by-Plate at least as an option, if not the primary mode of operation.” In 2012, the City of Pittsburgh became the first US city to implement an on-street Pay-by-Plate system on a large scale, following similar, successful models created in Calgary and Amsterdam.  The leap from mostly coin-only single space meters to a license plate based system with one kiosk per block face was equal in boldness to the Aspen leap in the 90s, and was only possible by the advances in integrated technologies for wireless communications and real-time database for parking payments and enforcement. Similar to the Aspen success with Pay-and-Display, it only took a few months for business owners and customers to sing the praises of the new system.  But in the Pittsburgh case, the benefits not only included the ability to pay with a credit card, but customers could pay at any pay station in the system and did not have to walk back to their vehicle to display a receipt.  In fact, the receipt was now optional and not required for compliance.  Enforcement efficiencies from checking plate numbers against the real-time payment database were enormous and much faster than brushing off snow from windshields to find a paid receipt. Pittsburgh was now a world-class parking city, and other US cities took notice.  Many of the requests for proposals for multi-space parking meters in 2012 ask for Pay-by-Plate at least as an option, if not the primary mode of operation.  One of the main questions that cities are starting to now ask is how do we seamlessly transition from Pay-and-Display to Pay-by-Plate from both the customer and enforcement perspective?  The key lessons learned from the Pittsburgh project included the need to educate the customer and condition them to know their plate number.  How many people have their license plate number memorized?  Not many, and add in the fact that people drive multiple vehicles, rental vehicles and fleet vehicles, and the challenge grows.  Additionally, the enforcement team needed to learn to trust the online payment status database. There is a unique, interim blend of both Pay-and-Display and Pay-by-Plate parking that allows for a painless transition from one system to the other.  Many of the Pay-by-Plate kiosks can operate in Pay-and-Display mode, but with the ability for customer to enter their plate number.  While this adds a step for the customer, it begins to condition the customer to expect to have their plate number as part of the parking transaction. From the city perspective, the plate number can now be printed on the parking receipt.  This means that the Pay-and-Display receipt is now only valid for one vehicle, and excess time purchased cannot be given to another customer.  Suddenly, this hybrid form of Pay-and-Display with Plate Entry requirement, moves the consumer and enforcement staff in the direction of focusing on the plate number for compliance while immediately increasing parking revenues through elimination of customers sharing receipts. Advanced enforcement methods – license plate recognition software Eventually, the enforcement system can begin to work with wireless handheld devices and license plate recognition (automatic number plate recognition) camera technology (LPR) to verify compliance without even checking the receipt, gradually building trust in the new technology by confirming that the live, online data matches what is displayed on the receipt.  This will naturally lead to the receipt being optional for compliance and a full transition to a plate-based on-street parking system. Once a license plate has been entered into the parking system it becomes a form of identification or bar code to which vehicle activity can be tied during the enforcement process. Parking Enforcement Officers drive patrol vehicles equipped with License Plate Recognition, or automatic number plate recognition cameras to scan the plates of parked vehicles at up to 50 scans per minute. Plate information is passed to a database checking for validity of the parking session, scofflaws etc. Should a parking session expire, an alert in real time is sent to the Parking Enforcement Officer who can serve a citation on the spot or use GPS coordinates to dispatch to the nearest PEO on foot. The scanned plate, like a barcode, provides instantaneous access to vehicle information independent of visual checks or keystrokes required using the old parking system. Further, through credit card information and vehicle license plate information, it now becomes possible to provide statistical data to better monitor and manage the utilization of a parking system as well as better serve merchants and citizens. Finally, this type of transition also enables cities to easily incorporate the latest virtual permit technology and payment options including pay-by-phone, where permits and payments are also tied to the vehicle plate number and enforced through a central, real-time database instead of visually looking at a printed receipt or permit. Download our whitepaper to figure out how you can transition smoothly into a pay by plate system!

Prep for pay by plate As you plan for your transition to a pay by plate parking system, it’s imperative you understand the full scope of situation. This includes examining both parking management systems: what you’re working with now and what you want to see in place once the transition is complete. Transitioning to pay by plate parking isn't always a linear path. Because of this, we’ve released “The Facts of the Matter" to set you up for pay by plate success. This downloadable sheet should provide you with some insight around what obstacles may stand between you and a pay by plate implementation. Submit your email address below to access it instantly. hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: "154767", formId: "2c13c2cb-195a-40a1-b8e4-befe79ddeb91" });

What will your transition to pay by plate look like? So what will a pay by plate parking management system look like in an ideal scenario? We’ve created a download to help you put it all together. As you go about planning for your transition to pay by plate, it’s important to know all of the facts at hand. This includes exploring how this will impact your organization–including in terms of parking-generated revenue and discovering any challenges by carrying out a complete comprehensive system assessment. Once you know how to get there, however, you probably want to know what the transition to pay by plate will look like once it’s complete. It’s also helpful to have a guide as to what you need to implement laid out for you. Our downloadable checklist can help! Submit your email address below to access it: hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: "154767", formId: "c04915e3-9e36-40ef-85fa-e0a51e51f2b4" });

Everybody wants to “go green” these days, and that includes the people you serve. For every Prius or Tesla that shows up on your streets, there surely are exponentially more denizens who are making other overtures toward living more environmentally-friendly lives. And it shouldn’t be surprising that these same individuals would like to see more eco-conscious, sustainable initiatives from their municipalities as well. The good news is most communities have gotten onto this bandwagon. It’s incredibly difficult to actually find examples of local governments that haven’t taken steps toward being more eco-conscious and sustainability-minded. This includes solar power initiatives, community gardens, city-wide composting programs, mandated recycling, watering schedules, and modern parking management solutions. New parking management solutions clean up your town Yes, the parking management solution your city chooses has an impact on how green your city or town actually is. A less sophisticated system seems pretty environmentally-conscious on the surface. Dropping coins in a meter, plopping a permit on a dashboard, or simple time restrictions seem relatively innocuous on the surface. However, these less sophisticated systems leave a lot to be desired from an ecological perspective. Enforcement in the just mentioned scenarios often relies on parking enforcement officers driving around in circles all day, idling for several minutes beside a vehicle, checking meters and dashboards or chalking tires. And then there’s more idling as a ticket is written up. Of course, this is all time consuming, so an officer is able to patrol only a relatively small area, which means that many officers are needed to cover all ground. Technologically fresh, contemporary parking management solutions are quite an improvement in these regards. The technology utilized in these modern setups may vary, but each present an opportunity to be greener. Current parking management software, particularly the technology associated with pay by plate, may be the ticket to greater sustainability for a city. License plate recognition technology, electric vehicles, mobile technology, and e-chalking can enable an officer to very quickly determine parking rights. No idling is needed because the vehicle doesn’t need to stop as it captures plates to be enforced. It’s also all very efficient, which means one enforcement officer can cover more ground, so there are fewer vehicles on the road, if vehicles are even needed! These solutions are lightweight, so an officer can go on foot or utilize a personal transportation device. If a citation does need to be issued, a nearby parking enforcement officer dedicated to issuing citations can be dispatched. Then the information can be filled in automatically and printed out—again, less idling. And the ticket that’s printed? These citations are smaller than their manual counterparts, which means less paper is used. The best part? These are only a few examples of how contemporary parking solutions and parking technology can help your community’s sustainability efforts. Depending on how you structure your parking system, you could engineer a perfect world scenario that is highly efficient, uses little energy, and produces almost no waste. Better parking management makes everyone’s lives easier The concept is about more than conserving resources and generating clean energy. Thinking more broadly, “going green” is about making our lives better on a daily basis, both now and into the future. It’s really a quality of life issue. This is most true for municipalities with active downtowns that handle lots of commuters and visitors. Here, current parking management software and a modern system can help make the parking and driving experience more enjoyable. These encourage better traffic flow and more consistent enforcement, which saves time, money, and resources for both drivers and authorities. Depending on the options making up the solution, any number of enhancements can be seen. There are innovative solutions which offer drivers opportunities to take care of their parking needs ahead of time, for instance. Paying in advance lets drivers go straight to an assigned spot or lot with no need for cruising around, burning fuel. Time is saved by not needing to search for a spot, and money is saved by avoiding fines. But if a citation is issued, handling is much easier, with fail safes like human error correction embedded in our current technology. All in all, these improvements make for a much more pleasant experience. Greater efficiency = going green Efficiency is the name of the game here. New solutions allow visitors and commuters to spend more time enjoying life and less time worrying about parking, while being more environmentally-kind in the process. These systems also guarantee better revenue and improve the experience for enforcement officials when doing their jobs. For cities and municipalities that make sustainability and “going green” local points of emphasis, a forward-thinking parking management solution can be an important component in achieving their broader overall goal. One such parking management solution is pay by plate. Read our recent white paper to find out how the transition to it might work for your municipality: hbspt.cta.load(154767, 'b9e99a93-7da5-445d-8181-90449d71f83d', {});

There are many goals when it comes to finding the right smart parking management solution. Last, but certainly not least, among them should be improving the quality of life for citizens and visitors by making parking compliance simple and effective. When people don’t have to guess about local restrictions and permits, and when paying the proper fees is convenient and hassle-free, drivers can focus on their own business without worry or concern. The less someone needs to bother with anything other than the task at-hand, the more relaxed and attentive they become, and the more they enjoy their time in a municipality. Public relations might sound like a minor concern of parking enforcement, but it can mean everything to a local municipality, and make a real difference in the way people think about it. You’d never want to make it more difficult for someone to work in or visit your town, right? Take a customer-centric approach to smart parking management, and you’ll find you can improve the situation for everybody involved. Make customers feel good about parking management Smart parking management isn’t something that your average citizen spends a great deal of time thinking about. Unfortunately, when they are thinking about it, odds are they’re usually not happy. Whether because of a ticket they don’t think they deserved, an unexpected need to circle the block in search of a space, or because they’re having trouble reading signage, drivers seem to only notice parking management when it makes their lives more difficult. This is backwards, though, as proper parking enforcement and management actually makes people’s lives easier, and improves the general experience of being in a town or city immensely. With more spaces opened up more regularly, more people can visit or work in an area. With routine and effective enforcement procedures, people know the rules and enforcement officials can focus more on helping folks stay in compliance, rather than writing tickets all day. All of which is to say that effective parking enforcement is a win-win for everybody, not the least of which the municipalities that can use the revenues raised from more targeted enforcement on civic investment and infrastructure improvement. Pay by plate parking and customer education More than anything else, public relations here boils down to public education. Take the situation with pay by plate parking management. Pay by plate parking streamlines the process of paying for parking, simultaneously keeping more spots open while lessening the incidence of incorrect tickets. The elimination of coin meters for example, makes compliance easier to accommodate and enforcement more efficient, and in some circumstances customers are able to utilize one payment for multiple spots in different locations over a set period of time. Numerous cities have used pay by plate parking and similar modern parking enforcement solutions to improve the parking management situation in ways that benefit citizens and authorities equally. In other words, there’s no downside to switching to pay by plate parking, but the public may not know this! This type of customer outreach doesn’t have to be anything super-intense, either. In Galveston, TX, along with their transition to a new smart parking management solution, authorities changed the name of enforcement officials to “ambassadors” and offered violators a 30-minute grace period. By making officers feel less like cops and giving customers a hand in staying in compliance, Galveston made the enforcement process more customer-friendly, with stress on the convenience and fairness of the new system and technology. And that convenience leads to compliance, not to mention greater revenues. This will make sense to most people. Therefore, messaging should focus on educating the masses on how much better things can be, and implementing new procedures with a healthy dose of humanity. A little forethought and an outreach strategy that lets people know what the improvements will mean to them can go a long, long way to making the switch not just something people are prepared for, but something they might be excited about, too. Focus on the good aspects of smart parking management When people can pay for parking on their smartphones, using plate enabled pay stations or purchase permits online using their license plate number, much of the hassle that comes with parking in a city goes out the window. There may be no getting around the fact that parking enforcement ultimately deals with people paying money to park their car, but the revenue aspect cannot, and should not, be a parker authority’s sole focus. Instead, all the ways that changing local parking enforcement will improve the lives of citizens and visitors should take center stage in discussions about making the switch to something like pay by plate parking. Focusing on the following aspects that make customers’ lives easier can be immensely helpful: Convenience and Speed of Payment Effectiveness of New Enforcement Procedures and Effects on Traffic Flow Portability of Time Purchased Among Different Spots On-Demand Electronic Receipts Preferred Rate Parking Distinctions Mobile Payment Options Elimination of Human Error It’s not complicated, but it is important: keep the focus on the good that modern parking enforcement solutions do for citizens and visitors, and those customers will be more amenable to, and accepting of, integrating the new solutions into their daily lives. Consult our white paper on “Pay By Plate vs Pay By Space and Pay & Display” for further ideas on how messaging matters when talking about different parking enforcement solutions. hbspt.cta.load(154767, '0101f118-7cf4-408c-9883-7c2e764ddf20', {});

Whether or not to delineate parking spaces is an interesting infrastructure issue for a municipality. Many communities often don’t consciously make the decision. For some, the powers-that-be from the generation before (or the generation before that) were the ones that made the call, and subsequent administrations have kept going along with whatever was previously decided. This is all changing, however. To keep our modern municipalities functioning with ease and efficiency, almost everyone realizes planning needs to be part of the big picture. This is why many municipalities are rethinking their parking management systems, replacing coin meters and other manual methods, and making the transition to new, more cohesive systems. Some of these parking management systems—specifically pay by plate and pay and display—can operate efficiently either with marked (delineated) or unmarked parking spaces. So which is the right choice? Advantages of non-delineated parking management systems There are both benefits of non-delineated parking systems and delineated management systems, but the former is a more flexible option that can cut down on costs. These advantages span into several departments, and are often major pluses for motorists as well. Lower infrastructure investment As there’s no need for individually numbered stalls, there’s no need to paint lines and numbers on the ground or curb for stall markings. This is advantageous from a financial point of view: less financial investment and less labor expense. As there is no need to do regular upkeep to maintain delineated parking spaces, there is now less regular spend. Even if your community chooses to outline curbside stalls—or if it was necessary in certain situations, such as for angle parking—numbers wouldn’t be needed. Just this would reduce the expenditure of labor. Decreased inventory and servicing Beyond using less paint, if your community (or specific zones) would use pay by plate, your parking system could be paper free. Receipts at kiosks could be optional, if issued at all. Motorists could also pay for their parking from their smartphone or tablet, never even visiting a kiosk at all. Again, the main advantage here is fewer costs realized on both paper and the manpower needed to keep kiosk printers stocked. The secondary benefit is environmental, as less paper would be used and less waste would be generated. More efficient and accurate enforcement For parking enforcement officers, not needing to match up vehicles to stall numbers could increase efficiency. This would, in turn, mean fewer enforcement officers needing to be on the job at any given time, something the administration will appreciate. This is done through modern parking management software. With a pay by plate system and license plate recognition technology, it’s incredibly quick for vehicle LPR to capture non paid parking which then can dispatch closest officer. This also cuts down on human error, as the plate number is being captured and verified by plate recognition software. . And motorists in your community are less likely to be getting tickets on technicalities because they keyed an incorrect number. More flexibility in space size Delineated parking spaces are shrinking—or at least they should. Previously our vehicles were much larger, and the curbside stalls had to accommodate them. Your community is missing out on parking income and residents and visitors are missing out on parking spaces if the lines are still painted to accommodate the land yachts that ruled well into the 1970s. With an unmarked parking space , you suddenly have more parking inventory. Of course, there are those who still drive longer vehicles, travel in a motorhome, or are pulling a trailer. Delineated spots can pose a problem for these motorists. With lines that don’t accommodate their vehicle, they may find themselves unable to find parking or be unaware of how to appropriately get parking rights—buy one spot or two? No lines eliminate this problem and makes it easier for everyone while increasing revenue. A hybrid dynamic alternative to parking While pay by plate benefits read like a wish list of the latest in tech trends, we know that often real world compromises need to be made between creativity and convention, progress, and pragmatism. Some cities are doing just that with a unique blend of existing pay by space infrastructure and pay by plate system. --- Selecting a new parking system Admittedly, these are not all of the benefits of having unmarked parking spaces. To take that a step further, there are actually some downsides too. For instance, despite all of your planning, people who park poorly and uninformed visitors could actually decrease your parking supply by not efficiently utilizing the available space on the street. Non-delineated spaces may also cause some confusion for those who are new to your city and are used to delineated parking. They may be confused about whether or not parking is allowed and may drive off to find a lot or more familiar delineated parking spots. As you decide what would be a good fit for your ever-changing community, it may be helpful to compare parking systems, looking at the features and benefits all offer. To help you in that regard, we’ve created a white paper to help you better evaluate three popular solutions that could be a good fit for your municipality. Download it for free today. hbspt.cta.load(154767, '0101f118-7cf4-408c-9883-7c2e764ddf20', {});

Parking management has a bad rap in many communities. People often feel put out by paying for parking and are confused by the associated rules and regulations. Even worse, they often feel parking citations and the accompanying fines aren’t penalties for breaking the rules but attempts to squeeze their hard earned money out of them, “the tax man wants more money”! We know this isn’t the case. Parking management benefits the entire community. This means that residents and visitors who are your parking customers benefit—in turn improving your agency’s relationship with the public. However, these are some of the most visible benefits of pay by plate parking management–at least to consumers. This turns pay by plate into not only a parking system but a customer service solution as well. There are several factors that make parking management and pay by plate customer service solutions, but most of the benefit is steeped in the technology that makes a comprehensive parking solution a possibility. License plate recognition, or LPR, is part of this. Flexible payment options, including mobile payments also comes into play. But these are just the start when it comes to some of the benefits of pay by plate parking, and why it can also qualify as a great avenue to higher levels of customer satisfaction. 1. The ability to park and proceed A significant part of good customer service is showing the customer you care about them. You value them and their time. Pay by plate does this. Anything that causes delay, holding them up and possibly even making them late, leads to poor customer satisfaction. With pay by plate parking, motorists don’t need to take time to fumble with coins to plug a meter. They don’t have to stop to memorize a parking spot number. They don’t have to return to their vehicle to display a receipt or temporary permit. If mobile payments are part of your parking management solution, they don’t even need to go to a kiosk, let alone wait in line at one. They can just park and proceed to go about their business. Paying for parking doesn’t inconvenience them one bit, which leads to a more satisfied customer. 2. More for their money While this is dependent on the parking rules in your municipality or particular parking zone, pay by plate customers will feel like they’re getting more for their money and won’t have the “ripped off” feeling they may get in other parking situations. If a customer puts coins in a meter and is called away, they just lose out on that already paid for time. Plus, they likely have to pay all over again at their next destination. This is often the case with pay by space too. But if you allow it, with pay by plate that paid up parking time travels with the plate (and the car it’s attached to) and is valid regardless of where that customer goes within that zone (or possibly the entire community). The customer won’t feel dissatisfied in this scenario, and they will experience more convenience by not needing to pay for subsequent stops. 3. No need to return to the vehicle Again, good customer service involves valuing your customer’s time. If motorist needs to extend their outing beyond the time they initially paid for, in most situations, they need to return to their car to plug a meter or purchase another voucher. It’s doubtful your customers see this as a good use of their time. With pay by plate, you do have the option of enabling those mobile payment options, which will lead to more satisfied customers. Even without mobile payments, motorists who have wandered away from where their vehicle is parked should be able to extend their parking rights from any kiosk. Not having to leave a lunch to walk a quarter mile to their car will definitely lead to more positive sentiment. 4. Parking management payment options With a modern parking management solution, there is a lot of flexibility in how you set things up. You can allow mobile app payments and kiosk payments. You can also allow for online registration and payment of permits by plate as well as fine payment from a web portal. Regardless of how you choose to structure things, the odds are high you’ve left the community and visitors with several payment options, and they can choose what is best for them. This is great because customers like the feeling that they have a choice. 5. No need to contact “customer service” over errors People make mistakes. This includes parking enforcement officers. Sometimes tickets are erroneously issued and the customer who owns that vehicle is inconvenienced. This does not make for happy customers. Their options in these scenarios often are to either pay a fine for a ticket issued to them for a violation they did not make or take time out of their day to stay on hold with the parking authority to attempt to rectify the issue. And if they are unable to prove that the citation is an error, they may be forced to pay it anyway to avoid the hassle of a court challenge. With modern license plate recognition technology and the associated software, errors like this are greatly reduced. Information is entered automatically, and leading technology can even correct manual errors made by enforcement officers and the customers themselves. Avoiding these kinds of negative confrontations due to errors is an obvious improvement. This allows the customer service department to focus on other aspects of improving the customer experience. Pay by plate is a customer service solution because it increases customer satisfaction. However, this isn’t the only parking management option to have upsides. Pay by Space are time-tested technologies that will still play an important role for many years to come. Download our white paper that compares and contrasts parking systems today to see which one may be the best fit for you, your customers, and both of your needs. hbspt.cta.load(154767, '0101f118-7cf4-408c-9883-7c2e764ddf20', {});

Forward-thinking new approaches to parking management aren’t the easiest ideas to sell. The thing is, new innovations bringing change to parking software solutions, like pay by plate, don’t have to replace existing systems. Parking managers can take a slower approach to replacing aging enforcement systems grandfathering in new technology to help foster acceptance at a comfortable pace. The key to managing the change-over is proper integration. You can’t simply steamroll parking management software into broad, accepted use. This post will go over a few different ways to make the lives of parking managers easier during these periods of transition by using an integrated parking management system. An integrated parking management system is what you make of it There’s no ideal way to blend the old and the new, and there will always be a gap in acceptance when people have a multitude of options. When pay by plate is first introduced, certain drivers may stick with payment methods they know because the person parking his or her car isn’t sure how the new system works and isn’t excited about the change. Until pay by plate gets over with the general public, which it will due in time, parking agencies need to maintain the status quo with a light touch while educating the public about what is on the horizon with the right mix of public relations campaigning and strategic integration. Three pieces of advice when blending parking systems 1. Use as few different solutions as possible If making a full switch to pay by plate from your current system is simply not a realistic option, consider paring down the available offerings. Not quite ready to cycle out those curbside coin meters? Many cities are adding signage to the traditional coin meters allowing parkers the option to pay using their plate number with a mobile phone. People appreciate more options when they add convenience. 2. Select options that integrate easily with each other Pay by plate works great alongside pay by space, as both are digital systems that allow parkers more convenience and PEOs a greater degree of control than they have with visually enforced meters. To help overcome inertia if you’re having trouble getting a new software solution off the ground alongside your legacy solution, point out that providing variety to customers can open up new revenue streams. 3. Push for a single consolidated system Over a long enough timeline, pay by plate is going to prove itself as the best option for city- or town-wide parking enforcement. The benefits are wide-ranging, the convenience is extraordinary, and there’s really no downside. If it will help convince your superiors, point out cases like Pittsburgh, PA, or Seattle, WA, who is using hybridized, integrated parking solutions, ‘the best of both worlds’, to meet its business needs. Tips for bring change to parking software solutions Keep track of metrics that will help your case No one’s going to simply take your word for it, so data is your friend. If you can, focus on revenue enhancements, lowered enforcement budgets, and daily traffic flow improvements. Don’t go overboard on hard-sell tactics Use a light touch when dealing with superiors. Be firm in your tactics of persuasion, but don’t be rude or inconsiderate. You’ll catch more flies with honey, so the saying goes. Work on practical improvements You might not get the exact set-up you’d prefer on the exact timeline you’d like. That said, keep your head down and work on making whatever your situation is better, with a consolidation of multiple parking systems as a long-term goal. Become an experts on all facets of every parking management solution used in your area If you only know the benefits of the system you want to implement, people could remain skeptical of your approach. Come to know how the systems work that you’d like to replace, and you can present comparative analyses that isolate the benefits of pay by plate in terms fans of other enforcement methods will understand and appreciate. Get our slide deck today to learn more about how integrating pay by plate can be done on your own terms: hbspt.cta.load(154767, 'b9e99a93-7da5-445d-8181-90449d71f83d', {});

Making the switch from older, more traditional parking enforcement systems (think coin meters and a lot of chalk) to a new parking system – such as a more modern pay by plate solution – can revolutionize parking in your municipality. The newer systems are easier to use for parkers and administrators alike, and those towns and cities that have updated their parking enforcement have nothing but wonderful things to say about the change. When changing to a new parking system, there’s a lot to take into account, including whether to use delineated or non-delineated spaces. While there are big benefits, there are a few facts that ought to be considered that will accompany a switch to any new parking system, whether it’s pay by space or pay by plate. There are upsides and downsides to not putting down lines and defining parking stalls, and given these issues, some cities and towns will need to take a good long look at the situation before deciding to go one way or the other. A little bit of due diligence goes a long way here. In the spirit of helping you sort through the details, we’ve assembled some of the positives and negatives that non-delineated parking management systems bring. Weigh the pros and cons below in relation to your municipality, and you’ll be one step closer to deciding if now’s the time to move to a non-delineated approach to your parking system or not. The pros and cons of a non-delineated parking system Pros            Cons More spots available: Parking customers take up only as much space as they need, which should result in more available spaces More efficient enforcement: Less labor-intensive checking that’s very tech-friendly, far fewer errors without needing to sync up stall numbers Cleaner look, less infrastructure needed: No painted spots or related maintenance Multi-use payment: Ability to more easily set up a system where the parking rights may be used in several spaces within a designated zone More customer-friendly: More convenient, ‘pro-parker’ and possibly smartphone-based More efficient use of workforce: If LPR is being used, more zones can be covered. Officers may be assigned different duties which may require adjusting to new roles. Fewer spaces could be available: If drivers park poorly and don’t efficiently utilize space, fewer overall spaces may be available More violations: Without delineated spots, many drivers may park too close to crosswalks, fire hydrants, and driveways Confusion can lead to drive-offs: If drivers aren’t sure what to do, may find private lots Non-delineated parking systems: A lot of ins, a lot of outs As the above shows, there will be some hiccups that go hand-in-hand with a switch to non-delineated stalls in most parking management systems. But there are also many issues that don’t quite tie into the question of whether spots are delineated or not–be it late adopters who don’t know how to use the new technology or coming up with something to do with all those old, now-useless coin meters. However, when compared to the many benefits available, like easier fee payment and more consistent revenue, those challenges to new parking management systems don’t seem so insurmountable. The larger point is this: the decision to move to non-delineated parking systems is not one that should be taken lightly. It’s a big change that can do a lot of good, but there are challenges, too. hbspt.cta.load(154767, 'b9e99a93-7da5-445d-8181-90449d71f83d', {});

Minimizing enforcement errors plays a key role in the successful adoption of new parking enforcement technologies, whether you transition to pay by plate parking, or another solution. There is always a learning curve involved with any technological upgrade, but smoothing out the adjustment period and making sure the hassles involved are not solely the parker’s responsibility to rectify can make the difference between the change being accepted or rejected by the public. Luckily, the number plate checking technology – PlateCheck – is here as a safeguard for pay by plate parking technology, double-checks data on each side of the enforcement equation, both on plate entry and while checking for parking rights, to ensure that citations aren’t issued in error. How PlateCheck works In an effort to lower the number of erroneous tickets issued, PlateCheck uses a proprietary algorithm to verify plate data. In addition to offering real-time verification, PlateCheck can spare parkers unnecessary hassle by recognizing plate information inputted in error. It does this by cross-checking potential matches in the parking rights database. Once a plate number has been captured by the web application, PlateCheck queries live data for any anomalies, correcting characters with consistent precision. One-digit errors can be found and corrected 100% of the time! PlateCheck is not only a safeguard against human error, but machine error too. Most notably, it reduces LPR camera misreads, improving hit rates to over 95%. In addition, enforcement software performs a “last number plate check” before issuing citations, giving the parking enforcement official one final verification of parking rights before levying a ticket. Parking enforcement software solutions offer a better way forward Pay by Plate parking can mean big things for municipal revenues: with high enforcement efficiency and accuracy, and thus fewer disputed tickets, certain municipalities have seen an 80% increase in collection rates. For Galveston, TX, that meant more than $100,000 in additional civic revenue in the first three months following the pay-by-plate transition. Better still, most pay-by-plate technologies allow municipalities a slower, layered integration with existing payment methods like Pay and Display or Pay by Space, allowing everyone time to catch up with the new system. PlateCheck reduces the guesswork and aggravation that can go hand-in-hand with parking management in a town or city regarding number plate checks, vehicle registration checking online and general parking rights. Real-time verification brings down the incidence of errors to as little as 1% of all tickets issued. While in mid-to-large size cities that can still mean a fair amount of disputed tickets, consider how many more it would be at just 2%! Nothing’s perfect, of course, but pay-by-plate technologies equipped with PlateCheck get as close as possible. Parkers and enforcement officials both will make mistakes while getting used to new parking enforcement solutions during adoption periods, but those mistakes need not define the new system. PlateCheck is here to make sure they don’t. hbspt.cta.load(154767, 'b9e99a93-7da5-445d-8181-90449d71f83d', {});

De la nouvelle arène de basket-ball au centre-ville au boom de l'immobilier commercial, il est clair que Milwaukee a de grands projets pour l'avenir. Mais pour continuer à connaître le succès et à voir sa communauté prospérer, certains changements devaient être effectués. Afin de rester pertinent et d'attirer des talents de classe mondiale pour vivre et travailler au centre-ville, les services de stationnement de la ville de Milwaukee savaient qu'ils devaient être des leaders et agir rapidement pour faciliter cette transformation. La possibilité de rater l'occasion de diriger l'évolution de la ville est un puissant catalyseur de changement pour tout gouvernement ; et, comme cela a été le cas pour d'autres agences de stationnement, l'inaction risque d'impliquer des acteurs externes, ce qui peut être préjudiciable. Milwaukee a choisi de devenir l'un de ces leaders en évaluant les moyens de tirer parti des nouvelles technologies pour atteindre les buts et objectifs de la ville en matière de stationnement et de transport. Grâce au travail acharné qu'il a fourni et aux mises à jour qu'il a effectuées, le service du stationnement est désormais mieux à même de servir sa communauté. Cliquez ici pour en savoir plus sur la façon dont la technologie gtechna les a aidés à utiliser plus efficacement le stationnement du centre-ville, à offrir un meilleur service à la clientèle et à se préparer pour l'avenir.

Lorsque le terme "ville intelligente" vient à l'esprit, il s'accompagne généralement de l'image d'une métropole tentaculaire où des millions d'habitants se promènent avec leurs différents modes de transport. Mais Banff a prouvé que ce n'était pas toujours le cas. Petite ville de villégiature d'environ 8 000 habitants, située à l'intérieur d'un parc national, Banff a dû relever le défi unique d'accueillir ses 4,5 millions de visiteurs saisonniers annuels. Le conseil municipal a dû trouver le moyen d'utiliser au mieux les 2 000 places de stationnement de Banff pendant la haute saison, qui voit plus de 30 000 personnes s'installer dans la petite ville. Des ingénieurs et des agents chargés de l'application de la loi ont travaillé ensemble pour associer les pratiques traditionnelles à la technologie moderne afin de faire de Banff une ville intelligente et de résoudre les problèmes séculaires de stationnement. Il n'y a aucun doute : la taille n'a rien à voir avec le fait d'être une ville (ou un village) connectée. Les petites villes peuvent réagir en temps réel en utilisant des données pour que les choses se passent bien, même sans les budgets de millions de dollars des zones métropolitaines. Banff est un exemple de la façon dont la technologie peut aider les autorités à mettre en œuvre des solutions créatives et hautement personnalisées qui éduquent la population locale et apportent des réponses aux besoins spécifiques de la communauté. Vous pouvez en savoir plus sur la façon dont gtechna a aidé à transformer cette petite ville en une ville intelligente ici.

Metrolinx a créé un système de transport primé qui tire parti de la technologie et l'intègre à de multiples plateformes, le tout centré sur une expérience client positive. Depuis l'achat de GoTransit en 2006, Metrolinx a investi considérablement dans l'expansion de son système de transport en commun et dessert la région métropolitaine et le Grand Toronto en offrant des services de transport à plus de 7 millions de résidents sur 11 000 kilomètres carrés. Mais cette augmentation du nombre d'usagers a entraîné la nécessité de mettre à jour la technologie. Pour l'aider, Metrolinx a fait appel à gtechna. L'équipe de Metrolinx savait qu'avec son expansion, la technologie désuète qu'elle utilisait pour communiquer, émettre des billets et remplir des documents administratifs ne fonctionnerait plus ; elle était encombrante et prenait trop de temps. Metrolinx s'efforce de créer une expérience client positive, aujourd'hui et à l'avenir. La situation est unique, car non seulement l'entreprise émet des billets pour les automobilistes et les usagers, mais elle en émet aussi pour ses clients. Ils veulent s'assurer qu'ils peuvent prendre soin de leurs clients de la manière la plus efficace et la plus respectable possible. En s'associant avec gtechna, ils ont montré qu'ils sont tournés vers l'avenir et prêts à faire le travail nécessaire pour rendre leur système transparent et convivial. gtechna a été heureuse non seulement d'aider à fournir la bonne technologie, mais aussi de faire sa part en montrant que le choix d'une solution conviviale crée un scénario gagnant-gagnant qui profite à l'utilisateur, à l'organisation et à la ville. En examinant honnêtement sa situation et en faisant le travail nécessaire pour mettre à jour ses systèmes, Metrolinx peut se tourner vers l'avenir avec la certitude que la technologie qu'il a choisie et son partenariat avec gtechna lui donneront les outils dont il a besoin pour réussir. Pour lire l'histoire complète de Metrolinx, cliquez ici.

Rock, paper, tablet: A brief history in the evolution of tablets The evolution of tablets owes itself to advancements in pen computing, touch and multi-touch computing, combined with optical character recognition. These innovations have created a synergy in enforcement technology never before seen. eCitations and ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) are the number one force-multipliers on the market sought after by parking enforcement and traffic enforcement units across North America and the globe for its ease-of-use, efficiency and dramatic impact on public safety, not to mention the personal safety of the officer. The most recent generation of tablets offer an unparalleled user experience on the latest Android and iOS platforms further enhancing these enforcement technologies. With the entrance of tablet computing the landscape yet again, has changed. The tablet has made a long journey, once conceived as an educational tool for children, later a tool almost exclusively for the health and industrial markets to the wildly popular consumer device rapidly overtaking the Desktop and Laptop market. The tablet has taken on just about any form factor imaginable, resulting in several incarnations from pen-based keyboardless slate tablet to dual touch notebook convertible, personal digital assistant, ultra mobile computer, to precise multi- touch/gesture based media tablets. Having come full circle, the consumer grade tablet is now making its entrance into traditionally commercial markets. For decades Microsoft and earlier tablet pioneers would envision the tablet in a prominent role that had never quite materialized until Apple got it right in 2007. From pen to iPad – 1888 to present Compared to the speedy, time-saving enhancements of eCitation software, that old, messy, environmentally unfriendly paper ticket looks like a dinosaur-aged slate of bedrock. The eCitation has come a long way and the tablet’s form factor is arguably the best suited medium for continued advancements in enforcement technology. A time line of the tablets ‘stone-aged’ past reveals a surprisingly long history. In 1888, the first patent for an electronic tablet used for handwriting was for the telautograph. New patents emerged at the turn of the century and again in the 50s and 60s possessing visionary appeal such as the Dynabook. Momentum gained in the 80s with the release of the first commercially available portable tablet, the Samsung manufactured GrIdPad which later served as the model for the famously successful PalmPilot approximating the current incarnation of the tablet as we know it today. 1992 to 1994 pen computing becomes the leading trend Concerned that the tablet posed significant competition to windows desktop platform, Microsoft releases a Windows for Pen Computing platform. A number of companies begin producing tablets. IBM introduces the 1st incarnation of the ThinkPad, 750P & 360P tablet, both of which were slates, and Samsung introduces the PenMaster. 1993—Apple introduces the Newton PDA aka MessagePad The term personal digital assistant (PDA) was first coined to refer to the Apple Newton. Going forward this term became the standard until only recently, slowly being overtaken by the term ‘smartphone’, a catch-all term further securing its status as a powerful, all-in-one smart device from phone to digital wallet to media hub and this same smart technology. Among this list of smart devices, it can now be enjoyed in tablet form on 7″ and 10″ tablets frequently referred to as ‘media tablets’. Tablets and smart phones owe their hybrid computing and wireless telecom technology to tech pioneers Nokia and Palm both releasing game changing PDAs later known as smart phones in 1996. The end of the pen—The bubble bursts after 1994 After gaining attention between 1992 and 1994, manufacturers scrambled to produce Pen computing tablets. After 1994 this brief consumer foray went bust; however, the tablet market continues to grow in the industrial sector. Companies such as Intermec and Symbol Technologies continue to make pen slates. 2002 to 2006—Microsoft introduces the Tablet PC Microsoft’s patented Tablet PC jump-starts a decade-long of lackluster consumer tablets; however, it was a successful platform for rugged slate and notebook convertibles in the industrial market. In 2003 MobileDemand introduces the first xTablet Rugged Tablet PC kick- starting a successful line of rugged offerings by well known manufacturers such as General Dynamics-Itronix, Getac, Datalux, Motorola and Panasonic. In 2003, Fingerworks Technologies invents advanced gesturing implementations later to be adapted and purchased by Apple, meanwhile Microsoft steadfastly, focuses on portable computing with the advent of the Ultra Mobile PC. 2007 to 2010—The magic touch: multi-touch, dual touch, iPod touch By 2007, touch computing technology has changed the market yet again with the launch of the iPhone and iPod Touch. Microsoft and Apple took very different approaches to the tablet. While, Microsoft took the approach of scaling down from a PC to create a device-like experience, Apple did virtually the opposite. But, it would take Apple three years before adapting advanced touch & gesture to a tablet scaling up from the iPhone/iPod Touch to a larger more capable device for computing. In 2010, Apple launches the game changing iPad permanently halting the production of the Tablet PC. The elegant yet sturdy-looking iPad made dual touch and multi-touch slates and notebook convertibles appear crude and antiquated forcing all players in the market to catch up. The tablet wars begin. The rise of the tablet: Not just for consumers anymore IDC predicted a market growth for tablets from 26 to 64 million units in 2013. Public perceptions are shifting and tablets are emerging from a lowly position of misfit gadgetry of times passed. Previously considered more of a gimmick or novelty item, at best to compliment a laptop or desktop, the tablet is progressively coming into its own as a standalone primary computing device. What’s more, this second coming is moving beyond the the realm of the consumer market as more tablets are adopted for professional uses. In government markets more and more agencies are adopting tablets to replace MDTs for a number of reasons not the least of which is the tremendous price point advantage that consumer products hold over industrial counterparts. The tablet wars The rise of the consumer tablet is even giving the ruggedized tablet a run for its money. Traditional consumers of ruggedized computers such as police and parking enforcement agencies are now looking to lighter, more affordable alternatives to assist in daily activities frequently involving eCitation issuance and ANPR(automated number plate recognition) parking or traffic enforcement. This trend suggests that not only is the commoditized desktop PC on the decline but laptops, traditionally found in enforcement vehicles, are too. Even Microsoft, whose had a long history of tablet failures is back with the Surface providing the option to have a ‘full Windows experience’ in the form of Windows 8, touting a tablet friendly GUI, to tap into the raging tablet market. This has also had the effect of turning Microsoft’s OEM’s into competitors, ruffling more than a few feathers. With all of the broom-ha-ha surrounding tablets computing, how does one go about choosing the best tablet for a professional operation? Going the way of the Tablet? A few things to look out for when evaluating the right one for your parking enforcement operation… There are a slough of tablets today, many of which have not come close to touching the well-rounded iPad. However, this is slowly changing as more quality tablets enter the market. While consumer smartphones and tablets in 7″ and 10″ configurations make inroads into traditionally industrial sectors, there are still some drawbacks, which you can see in our comparison of smart devices below. In our next article we will look at how far industrial tablets have come along on its journey to catch up to the consumer tablet.

Why do media tablets matter for eCitations & automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) operations? This phenomenon will change the future of computing in business. Get up to speed on what is happening in a very fast-moving area. What should your next move be? In the world of trendy consumer tablets, the once venerated rugged tablet PC has had to reinvent itself as demand increases for the highly sought after form factor of the media tablet. Some of the most defining characteristics that differentiate the media tablet from the tablet PC are as follows: No digitizer (aka no stylus) Gesture based lateral swipe navigation Pinch zoom In a nutshell, very iPad-esque. The consumerization of and the use of business tablets As much as tablets and smart phones have become known for entertainment, there is a place for productivity in the business world as well. Increasingly enterprise versions of consumer tablets are making an appearance on the product road maps of players in the rugged and semi-rugged markets (see table below). As the popularity of tablets continues to grow, we will continue to see a diversification in types of apps being developed for tablets that focus on enterprise based solutions. Move over Angry Birds. There’s an app for that: Parking enforcement, traffic enforcement, code enforcement More than just a consumer toy, there’s a place for the use of business tablets. Apps in the enforcement industry are emerging on tablets that lend themselves well to day-to-day activities of foot and patrol officers where mobility is key. An eCitations app for example, as seen in the photo above, has been re-imagined to suit the elegant, hyper intuitive multi-touch precision pinching as well as sweep and flourish gestures that have been popularized by the iPad and Android tablet based operating systems. Even Microsoft is now finally catching up with its Windows 8 OS which is optimized for tablet use with special mention going to Microsoft’s new flagship tablet, the Surface. Just in case your were thinking that a media tablet was merely a touchscreen or pen interface affixed to a PC, think again. The “instant on” ultra responsive media tablet is a giant leap from its tablet PC ancestor. When you thought technology couldn’t make it any easier… Advancements in traffic enforcement have come a long way. With the advent of electronic citations coupled with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), the way enforcement is conducted changed completely. However, as this market matures and adopters become a majority new advancements have again enhanced the enforcement process making it even easier to complete an eCitation than traditional mobile devices because of its intuitive design. Advancements in traffic enforcement have come a long way. With the advent of electronic citations coupled with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), the way enforcement is conducted changed completely. However, as this market matures and adopters become a majority new advancements have again enhanced the enforcement process making it even easier to complete an eCitation than traditional mobile devices because of its intuitive design. Tablets remove the burden of computing and let the user merely act—and get useful work done. Tablets boot up within seconds, are comprised of fewer hardware parts and tend to be light speedy alternatives that rely on substantially less battery power. A field officer can for example have a tablet mounted in-vehicle and then rapidly remove it from the mount for instant in-hand computing with the functionality of a laptop and portability of a PDA. At the end of the shift the officer may then return to office to execute ‘head-down’ data entry if need be. Back at the office, and in courts, the portable design of the tablet lends itself well to producing analytic reports and dashboards. Portable design and 7″ to 10″ screen real estate offer a convenient alternative for sharing data as quickly as looking at hard copy page of a report, flipping through documents and viewing video with out delays in launching applications. Literally the screen goes where you go without the, at times, cumbersome keyboard. Can I get a show of hands, IT Managers? Apart from the obvious aesthetics, tablets have a lot going for them. From applications and media content to the underlying developer ecosystem and uniformity of design, the media tablet offers a compelling alternative. A tablet OS creates a development environment conducive to instant access to apps allowing users to subscribe to applications within an ecosystem via a portal. It makes for a rich user experience, solid support and easy upgrades. Usually the most resistant to change, IT Managers are anticipating shifts in computing as tablet consumerization slowly encroaches on more traditional territory. Approximately 85% of IT Managers expect to start supporting tablets and 48% were already supporting within 6 months of the iPad’s launch. The use of business tablets take the torture out of automation, getting the computer out of the way in order to let the user do what he or she wants to do and what the software was intended to do: make your job easier and more efficient.

Mobile mêlée | The mobile OS wars, where are we now when considering your next electronic parking ticket system? When considering your next ticketing system or an upgrade to an electronic parking ticket system from your current parking ticket software or traffic ticket system, choices abound! More parking tickets and traffic citations are being doled out from Android and Apple devices. With the effect of digital tickets on smart phone sales, it is becoming more relevant than ever to stay ahead of the curve on the rapidly changing landscape of this competitive digital market in what can only be deemed: The Mobile OS Wars! The following headlines read like eulogies for the beleaguered mobile tech giants, some former, some dwindling some still wielding power, albeit diminished. ❝ Death of the Android  Blackberry: The Rise & Fall of an Empire Microsoft Dethroned…for Good iOS Retro, Brings Back Worst of the 80s Mobile OS wars seem to be entering a new era. Announced in October 2012, the number of smartphone users has surpassed 1 billion. In August 2012, the smartphone and tablet market share surpassed the 50% threshold in the U.S. with Android and Apple grabbing 92% of the global market share. The market is starting to saturate and these once white hot products are now becoming commoditized leaving little for stragglers. Although, what can only be viewed as a courageous (or foolhardy) move in this brave new world, surprisingly, Mozilla’s plans to launch an OS have gotten off to a strong start. One of the most notable casualties of late of course is Blackberry, who, despite the launch of BB10, can only hope to at best, stabilize a near vertical plummet. Regardless of corporate rebranding, ditching the RIM moniker for the more globally known product brand Blackberry, a phoenix-like rebirth into anything other than a small niche oriented player, is about the only positive spin one can put on Blackberry’s, frankly depressing, decline. Even Apple has not been immune to dreary forecasts, post-Steve Jobs, suggesting that its zenith has also come and gone. Mobile market on fire while other markets get burned: The future of parking For the first time since 2001 PCs are experiencing a decline in sales and even laptops are increasingly taking a back seat. Tablets are redefining mobile as they become more powerful and convenient for personal and professional use. Companies who have built an empire on flagship products like the PC home computer or PC laptop are now being forced to cannibalize their market share capitulating to the demand for more mobile devices. Apple for example, is looking at new markets to help regain ground in sliding sales of the Macbook Pro, looking at ‘smart watches’ that would perform many of the functions of a smartphone. A study by Gartner corroborates what is likely to be an inevitable steady decline of the PC, especially with recent news of the failure of Windows 8 and new ultra thin “utrabooks” to slow PC user-base churn: “PC makers began the year with hope that a new wave of lightweight laptops called ultrabooks would provide a sales lift. But the ultrabooks haven’t been compelling enough to overcome the growing popularity of smartphones and tablet computers. Those mobile devices are reducing the need for consumers and businesses to buy new PCs or replace older ones…This transformation was triggered by the availability of compelling low-cost tablets in 2012, and will continue until the installed base of PCs declines to accommodate tablets as the primary consumption device”. Where is the mobile market now? The remainder of this article, to be continued next week, looks at reviews done on current smartphone and tablet market share and the factors that drive growth. We all know what doesn’t work, as Blackberry became a working model for what not to do; but, is there a success story to be championed in this mêlée and should we be surprised at who the winner appears to be or, is this just history repeating itself? hbspt.cta.load(154767, 'b53991d9-29eb-4b71-83f9-9b0970e73de5', {}); > Related Parking Enforcement Articles: Adoption of Android™ Signals A New Mobile Trend in Parking Enforcement Business Applications Android or Apple for your traffic ticketing system | how to choose: Part 2

Where is the mobile market now and what does it mean for Android or iOS parking management systems? Should you upgrade to a smart parking system using Android? Or should you optimize for an iOS parking enforcement solution, like ParkMobile? The remainder of this article, to be continued from last week in Part 1 of Android or Apple for Your Ticketing Software series, looks at reviews done on current smartphone and tablet market share and the factors that drive growth to help you make an informed decision between an Android or iOS parking solution. We all know what doesn’t work, as Blackberry became a working model for what not to do; but, is there a success story to be championed in this mêlée and should we be surprised at who the winner appears to be or, is this just history repeating itself? A recent article reports with a great deal of skepticism, on suggestions that Android is in its death throes. The article’s rebuttal suggests, and quite succinctly demonstrates that this is simply not the case, that Android is, in fact, taking market share from “everyone”. The piece goes on to break down market growth into  a few defining factors including Price, Existing Market Share,  Consumer Loyalty and Financials. Price Data indicates that, unshockingly, price is the primary factor for consumers when determining what type of smart device to purchase. Clearly the value for every dollar spent must match up. From a developer’s perspective, a combination of the market share and user base are key performance indicators that dictate whether or not to develop for a mobile platform. The race to woo developers has never been more fervently pursed than in Blackberry’s campaign pushing the Z10s new QNX platform, an affirmation that apps rule the roost and figure prominently in the equation for a successful smartphone or tablet maker.   Market share The tablet market is still Apple’s to claim as victor however Google’s steady market penetration is slowly closing that gap. Apple seems to have a knack for repeating history like the 1980s and 1990s Apple vs. PC wars which eventually saw its decline. Apple’s strength in product design, clairvoyance in terms of knowing what consumers desire before they even know they desire it and trendy marketing put Apple at the top of the heap. However, Apple also holds another title that seems to have become its Achilles’ heel: pricing. Apple products eventually lose luster as steep price points drive consumers to more affordable ‘good enough’ alternatives; a pattern very similar to the 1980s and 1990s that brought momentum to a crawl, threatens to repeat itself. According to Strategy Analytics Apple’s share has shrank from 64.5% to 56.7% while Android has leaped from 29.2% to 41.3% “Shipments of Android tablets surged to a new high in the third quarter of 2012, accounting for 41% of all tablets shipped. Neil Mawston, Strategy Analytics’ executive director, says that there’s no one Android tablet responsible for the surge, which is more due to a large influx of devices from a wide variety of vendors including Asus, Samsung and Nook.” Shipments of Apple’s iPad lineup, meanwhile, shrank to 57% of the market”. Apple may still hold the lion’s share of units shipped for the time-being but, increasingly consumers are hard pressed to find a reason to buy Apple. Brand loyalty can only go so far in competing with the wildly successfully Nexus 7. Even more alluring is the Nexus’ price point at $199 versus the iPad mini’s $329 price tag. The Nexus 7 is also rumored to go down to $150 and eventually, $99. Should Apple be concerned? Probably, but what is of even greater concern is the alarming rate at which Android has gained market share in the smartphone market! Having been referred to as a “sinking ship”,  Apple’s current situation on the smartphone front is less than rosy. Five years in and five and a half iOSs later, it is safe to say that the honeymoon is over and the iPhone simply does not hold the caché it once had. According to the IDC the Android OS was found on 3 out 4 smartphones being shipped in Q3 2012. “According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, total Android smartphone shipments worldwide reached 136.0 million units, accounting for 75.0% of the 181.1 million smartphones shipped in 3Q12. The 91.5% year-over-year growth was nearly double the overall market growth rate of 46.4%. Consumer loyalty Being familiar with an OS’s ecosystem plays a key factor in a consumer’s decision to stick with an OS. Something that would seem to work in Apple’s favor. Apps are another significant deciding factor in sticking with an OS. Google Play is gaining fast on the iTunes store and will eventually overtake it but currently, Apple apps generate 4x more profit. Financials Google’s stock would seem expensive at $828 dollars but it is, in fact, at a healthy average in terms of PEG ratio according to the average S&P 500 stock. Profits are nice and healthy, but the earnings growth could use improvement. Net income however, is very good at $10.56 billion. Total cash is $44.62 billion compared to $7.90 billion in debt. This might make investing in a smart parking system using Android an idea worth exploring. Apple Vs Google: Mirrored opposites in stock fluctuations Google’s strategy of creating ‘good enough’ cheaper smartphones and tablets seems to be working as evidenced by its booming climb in market share and stock prices. What’s more, the quality and user experience of Android products, some would argue, is as good if not superior to that of the aging iOS. However until very recently, lest we forget, Apple has held the title of most valuable company in world. That being said, one thing we can be assured of is Apple’s ability to reinvent itself and the market as it has done time and again. No matter your choice, upgrading to a system that leverages smart parking using smartphones – iOS or Android – is a cost-effective, winning idea that is sure to keep everyone happy.   > Related parking enforcement articles: Adoption of Android™ signals a new mobile trend in parking enforcement business applications Android or Apple for your ticketing software | how to choose: Part 1

by Mike Bourre, Vice-President Sales & Marketing, gtechna Inc. Advantages of collaboration between parking enforcement & police agencies For the past fifteen years I’ve worked with Public Safety and during this time interoperability has been, and still is, a hot subject. Why? Because having collaboration between public safety and parking enforcement agencies just makes sense. Sharing information amongst all agencies helps intelligence gathering and achieving the goal of ‘getting the bad guy’. In public safety several aspects of technology arise when considering system interoperability including radio communication and the allocation of wireless frequencies, computer aided dispatch and records management interfaces. One might say these technologies are only used by public safety, which is typically true, but there are other integral technologies which can be leveraged to gather additional information for public safety. One of those essential technologies which will be covered in this article is license plate recognition (LPR). Rising demand of license plate recognition (LPR) “Some cities are already achieving interoperability…a stealth enforcement program is currently being  employed by one of our clients, a major US city, between the Department of Public works and the police department…Parking enforcement officers aid in the detection of stolen vehicles. Any vehicles registered on a hotlist will simply trigger an alert that is sent directly to the police agency to act upon.” For several years now LPR has been a tool primarily used by public safety for hotlist alerts such as arrest warrants or amber alerts. However, LPR is beginning to gain popularity in parking enforcement for cities and municipalities. The reason behind increasing attention toward LPR technology is that there is a technological shift occurring within the parking industry. In the past, parking was a fairly  unsophisticated activity primarily consisting of single space meters or time limit zones. Parking was visually enforced meaning that a PEO (parking enforcement officer) would have to walk the beat and visually inspect vehicles to determine whether or not they were over the time limit. However, as populations increased, new, more efficient methods for managing parking were required to accommodate rising demand. Parking enforcement’s hi-tech edge: the barcode The technologies that most cities and municipalities are looking at today and the future are pay by plate, e-chalking, pay by phone and paperless permitting, which can all be enforced through License Plate Recognition. In the parking industry, the license plate is becoming the “barcode”, or in other terms, the reference point for all enforcement. One might ask why this is happening? Well there are several factors: the first one being the European example, where these technologies have already been proven. Europe is more densely populated and has taken the lead when it comes to parking enforcement and management. Frequently, in most parking trade publications there seems to be a recurring theme: cities are asked to improve enforcement efficiencies while increasing revenues. LPR, basically a parking barcode scanner, for the parking industry is a perfect solution because it accomplishes both of these goals. For example, it is estimated that an LPR equipped vehicle can enforce the same area that would normally require 20 Parking Enforcement Officers (PEOs). Of course, parking system rights acquirement such pay by plate and other technologies also have its own merits which are beyond the scope of this subject. The new meaning of interoperability – inter-agency cooperation This article serves as a call to action to public safety agencies to take a closer look at what cities, municipalities and counties are doing with regard to the management of circulation and space, vital assets to communal prosperity. There are potentially powerful synergies to be forged by adopting an inter-agency cooperative model. For example, while a parking system is being enforced with LPR cameras, the data captured from vehicle plates could also be cross checked with hotlists as mentioned earlier. Some cities are already achieving this interoperability. For example, a stealth enforcement program is currently being  employed by one of our clients, a major U.S. city, between the Department of Public works and the police department where parking enforcement officers aid in the detection of stolen vehicles. Any vehicles registered on a hotlist will simply trigger an alert that is sent directly to the police agency to act upon. An LPR hit on, for example, a stolen vehicle is sent in stealth mode to the  police agency minimizing the involvement of the PEO allowing her to continue her beat without being involved in any way with a vehicle of interest. This information is then sent to police who can enforce properly and efficiently. The manifold benefits to police agencies speak for themselves but additionally, there is one reason why it is great for a city parking system as well.  Take the following case for example: – A car was just stolen, and the victim of the theft asks the police if they have any leads, to which the police reply, “no”. – A month later the owner of that stolen vehicle receives a late notice for a parking ticket.   – The disgruntled citizen whose vehicle was stolen decides to phone city hall to complain because the police cannot locate the owner’s vehicle, but “the city seems to have no problem locating the vehicle to issue a citation”. The preceding scenario clearly reflects poorly on the city’s ability to maintain efficient, functional public services. So, not only does collaboration help to improve public safety for citizens and Parking Enforcement Officers, but in general government looks like it is well organized and effective. Now, imagine the opposite scenario where stealth alerts are enabled and a stolen vehicle alert is dispatched to police who promptly recover the stolen vehicle. In this instance everyone wins. System interoperability – additional benefits There are additional benefits to leveraging LPR since parking vehicles do not enforce the same roads as police; collaboration covers more territory. Police will typically monitor more highways, while parking enforcement officers cover the downtown city core. Enhancing the parking enforcement process, leveraging LPR to enforce warrants, amber alerts and in general, vehicles of interest  strengthens initiatives to maintain high public safety standards.  Everyone benefits from this while significantly improving public safety by maximizing the use of city assets for better return on investment. Imagine the data sharing that could be automatically used to aid in policing initiatives. Next steps It is to the benefit of all government entities to consider a strategic collaboration. License plate recognition benefits more than the public and parking enforcement officers, police agencies can also leverage this technology and others to great advantage. This is why is especially critical that public safety agencies are aware that such a technological shift toward enhanced enforcement (such as LPR) is occurring. Further, parking enforcement agencies should be aware that the data being captured using LPR could be very useful for public safety. City’s are increasingly being asked to do more with less; collaboration between parking and police agencies presents potential economies in operational costs and gains in efficiency that ought to be explored further. For years there has been interoperability discussions between police. Now, it is not just about public safety sharing crucial data; it is about cities, counties, and municipalities and the agencies within these branches of government all pitching in.

Parking enforcement software solutions for parking management agencies have been historically dominated by Microsoft operating systems like Windows CE and Windows Embedded Handheld. As end-users expect their work devices and applications to look and function like personal devices, application developers have recently begun looking for viable alternatives. Google Android is being watched closely, mainly due to the benefits of Android OS in the consumer smartphone market to enhance user experience. Both end-users and application developers have recently begun looking for a viable alternative. Google Android has emerged as the OS that most businesses and developers are evaluating primarily due to its popularity in the consumer smartphone market and the following several reasons: More and more parking managers expect e-ticketing software solutions to include the same user experience as consumer smartphones. The ease-of-adoption lowers the training costs associated with deployment, especially among younger workers. In general, one of the main benefits of Android OS is that it is considered more modern and optimized for touch applications. Enterprises are looking to develop applications that may be provisioned to their employees and also offered directly to consumers on their own devices. Some developers feel that it is faster to develop applications for Google Android The Android Market Place has hundreds of thousands of applications that may be helpful for end-users in day-to-day activities and also provides a new route to market for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs). Some companies are simply frustrated with Microsoft and don’t see a clear roadmap beyond Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5. The demand for the new generation of mobile is a strong indicator that the market is dictating a new direction for commercial devices. What follows are only a few of the Android OS benefits in parking management, along with best practices and considerations when evaluating the most talked about issue when it comes to the new mobile revolution: security. New innovations are being developed that mean when it comes to parking enforcement, Android OS is not only a viable e-ticketing solution, but a more affordable one. Thus, it opens the doors for smaller government agencies, including parking enforcement and police agencies, with modest budgets to easily transition to an Android software solution for parking management needs. Device management considerations for the IT professional  There are number of OEM device management solutions emerging for the rapidly growing Android commercial market that greatly reduce the work and effort needed by IT support personnel to deploy and manage devices with an Android operating system. Below are some considerations when managing your fleet of Android devices: Root-access There are number of OEM device management solutions emerging for the rapidly growing Android commercial market that greatly reduce the work and effort needed by IT support personnel to deploy and manage devices with an Android operating system. Below are some considerations when managing your fleet of Android devices: By locking users into a kiosk mode or locking down menus it is possible to prevent users from changing device settings and getting root access. Best practices can be implemented such as setting up protocol to detect devices that have been rooted and take pre-defined actions to respond to this risk by removing the device from the corporate network or locking it down. Managing permissions, applications and mobile malware There are several ways to tackle issues related to applications and malware. First, by offering a kiosk mode end-users can be locked into an environment where they are unable to access, for example, the Internet or mobile market places. Additionally, certain hardware features can be disabled such as Bluetooth, phone, or Wi-Fi. These settings can be applied both on individual user and group level. IT managers can create lists of allowed and not-allowed applications and also monitor applications installed on devices and silently removing them if needed. Privacy When deploying units, the IT department can enable global settings that can, for example, prevent the use of GPS altogether or limit which applications can access the GPS information. Similarly a list of allowed applications can be used to tackle privacy issues. Lost or stolen devices IT departments can wipe, kill, and pull data from stolen or lost devices. In addition, measures can be used to enforce the use of complex passwords that will make it difficult to take advantage of a lost or stolen device. Managing Exchange ActiveSync Environments Control email authentication to the email authentication by verifying the actual device so the user will not be able to receive email from non-trusted devices until admin grants permission. Similarly, IT administration can enforce the requirement that users must be enrolled before they can access their corporate email. Should a greater level of Exchange Email control be desired, there are many third-party solutions to compliment this environment allowing for advanced configuration of Exchange Email settings and a configurable sandbox where corporate email settings can be enforced and data loss prevented. Remote installation Quickly and easily create packages of software/data that can be deployed to mobile devices. Automatically execute and process other types of files on the mobile device. In addition, users have the option of adding scripts that get automatically executed at various points during the installation or uninstallation of the package. Wireless internet and unprotected networks IT managers can create, edit and delete configuration profiles including initial configuration like Wireless ZeroConfig, SummitWireless settings, Fusion settings, Devicescape Wireless settings, Static IP, Cellular connection (APN) Settings. Data storage It is recommended that the ISVs rely on application level encryption. It is also possible to enforce the use of complex passwords that will prevent hackers from accessing stored data in case a device is lost or stolen. hbspt.cta.load(154767, '16bc281e-a815-4760-912c-cf1bdd45c683', {});

L'impact de la technologie de reconnaissance des plaques d'immatriculation (LPR) sur eChalking "Les performances éprouvées des systèmes de caméras LPR montés sur des véhicules montrent des statistiques de 4000 plaques d'immatriculation scannées au cours d'un quart de travail de contrôle. Il faudrait environ 20 agents à pied dans le même laps de temps pour faire respecter les zones de limitation de temps qu'un seul véhicule LPR". De nos jours, on demande à de nombreux managers de faire plus avec moins. La technologie de reconnaissance mobile des plaques d'immatriculation (LPR) a révolutionné les pratiques et les performances d'eChalking en améliorant l'efficacité, en réduisant les coûts et en augmentant les revenus. Compte tenu d'une estimation prudente de 400 minutes de travail dans une journée de contrôle et du fait qu'un agent de stationnement à pied ne se contente pas de marquer à la craie, il est raisonnable de dire qu'un agent consacrant une demi-journée au marquage électronique marquera 200 véhicules par jour, à raison d'un véhicule par minute. Le marquage à la craie numérique combiné au LPR est encore plus efficace. Les performances éprouvées des systèmes de caméras LPR montés sur les véhicules montrent des statistiques de 4000 plaques d'immatriculation scannées en une journée de travail, ce qui accélère considérablement le processus de contrôle du stationnement. Il faudrait environ 20 agents à pied dans le même laps de temps pour faire respecter les zones de limitation de temps qu'un seul véhicule LPR. En plus de la performance, il y a la valeur ajoutée des images du véhicule et de la plaque d'immatriculation capturées et stockées ainsi que les coordonnées GPS converties en adresses civiques pour marquer l'emplacement du véhicule garé. En outre, les preuves de l'infraction sont également mises à la disposition de l'automobiliste sur des portails Web, ce qui dissuade les demandes potentielles d'audience. En cas de contestation d'une contravention, les arbitres ont accès sur le Web aux données de l'événement LPR, y compris les images de chaque observation et les coordonnées GPS avec les adresses cartographiées par le SIG de l'endroit où la contravention a été émise. L'impact de la reconnaissance des plaques minéralogiques sur les ordonnances municipales Les administrateurs municipaux doivent envisager de remanier les règlements de stationnement créés à une époque antérieure à l'avènement des ordinateurs de poche et des caméras de reconnaissance des plaques d'immatriculation. Autant la technologie doit soutenir la loi, autant les législateurs doivent considérer l'efficacité d'une technologie telle qu'une combinaison de craie numérique LPR. "Autant la technologie doit soutenir la loi, autant les législateurs doivent considérer l'efficacité de la technologie". La nécessité de prouver qu'un véhicule n'a pas quitté son emplacement de stationnement remonte à la marque de craie sur le pneu. Les zones de limitation de temps étaient utilisées pour encourager la rotation du stationnement dans les espaces prévus pour les clients d'un commerçant. Le marquage à la craie du pneu, que ce soit par une image capturée ou par le dessin d'une marque de craie sur un pneu, implique la nécessité de prouver que le véhicule a pu se déplacer et revenir sur la même place de stationnement. Cependant, le besoin de traçage à la craie à ces fins a largement dépassé son utilité. À mesure que la technologie évolue et que les populations augmentent, nous assistons à un changement d'ordonnance qui ne permet pas au véhicule de se garer dans le même pâté de maisons plus longtemps que la limite de temps fixée ou de se garer à nouveau dans le même pâté de maisons, le même jour. La promotion de la circulation contribue à soutenir le commerce et l'économie locale. Le suivi par GPS et les photos numériques standard prises par les caméras de reconnaissance des plaques d'immatriculation sont les seules preuves nécessaires. Ce type d'ordonnance, l'éducation du public et le renforcement de l'application de la loi grâce à l'efficacité des caméras de reconnaissance des plaques d'immatriculation garantissent la rotation de ces places de stationnement de courte durée ainsi que la croissance et la prospérité continues qui font partie intégrante du tissu social et économique de la ville. Processus de contrôle simultané - la valeur ajoutée de la reconnaissance des plaques minéralogiques Les utilisations de la technologie RPM vont bien au-delà du marquage à la craie. La RPM est un multiplicateur de force, créant de nombreux avantages lorsqu'elle est appliquée avec des limites de temps au processus de contrôle du stationnement : Hotlist Véhicule volé Véhicules d'intérêt (ex : sécurité intérieure) Infractions (amendes impayées) Pas d'immatriculation (pourrait être envoyé à la police) Liste blanche Contrôle des permis Contrôle du paiement par plaque Contrôle du paiement par téléphone La plaque d'immatriculation est l'identifiant unique pour tous les processus de contrôle du stationnement - le code-barres du stationnement. Son utilisation efficace permet non seulement d'accroître les performances en matière de contrôle, mais aussi d'organiser toutes les données relatives au contrôle, au recouvrement des amendes et à l'adjudication. Essentiellement, le code-barres permet de garder un contrôle étroit sur l'inventaire des données liées aux numéros de plaques des véhicules. Les agences de stationnement doivent aujourd'hui sortir des sentiers battus et trouver des moyens de partager des informations avec d'autres agences, comme la sécurité intérieure et la police, par exemple en signalant secrètement les véhicules recherchés sans mettre en danger l'agent de stationnement et sans le distraire de son travail. L'investissement dans de nombreuses utilisations de la technologie LPR et de la plaque d'immatriculation en tant que code-barres dans le processus de contrôle du stationnement présente une valeur encore inexplorée, ce qui représente pour les villes l'occasion d'un nouveau départ.