Data Annotation and Smart Parking Monitoring

Managing traffic and transit can be a challenge for city governments. As cities grow so does vehicle congestion. As thousands of vehicles move through urban areas each day they also cause secondary issues. Namely, parking and parking enforcement. To deal with these emerging difficulties city governments are turning to computer vision based AI.

With the help of cameras and AI models authorities can autonomously monitor and regulate parking across a whole city. However, in order for smart parking monitoring to become an everyday reality, AI developers need precise image and video annotation. The right training dataset can make a huge difference for final model performance. Annotation services, like Keymakr, can support innovation in this sector.

Firstly, this blog will look at the key problems that are caused by vehicle parking in cities. Secondly, we will show how AI models can improve parking enforcement autonomously. And finally, we will identify some of the important advantages of data annotation services.

Parking problems

Finding a place to park can be a time consuming annoyance for motorists. But for city authorities the battle over parking presents serious risks and challenges. Talking these core problems could help make cities easier to navigate and healthier to live in:

• Congestion: Parking issues can cause congestion problems. A significant amount of traffic buildup is caused by people looking for parking. If there are not enough vacant spaces then drivers will circulate and idle in the hopes of finding one just as it is opening up.
  
  This inhibits the free movement of traffic on already busy roadways. Maximising the amount of free parking spaces would therefore reduce congestion overall.
• Emissions: Congestion and idling cars looking for parking spaces leads to higher emissions in cities. The gases and particulates in exhaust fumes are direct causes of illness for city residents. In addition, excess emissions impacts decarbonisation efforts for cities as a whole.
• Enforcement: The problem for cities is how to enforce parking restrictions so that more spaces are available for more people. Covering large amounts of parking spaces involves a significant investment in enforcement officers.
  
  And even a large force of officers may not be able to spot every instance of vehicles staying in spaces too long. The burden of parking enforcement can be a drain on energy and attention for city authorities.

Keeping track of parking with computer vision

As has been shown, effective parking enforcement can have a positive impact on traffic and health. Computer vision models can monitor parking spaces autonomously. AI equipped cameras can identify vehicles entering or leaving a space, recognise number plates and precisely record the parking period of any vehicle.

This data can be stored centrally and form the basis of city wide parking enforcement measures. As a result, AI can help to reduce congestion and emissions whilst saving cities money.

Data annotation services ensure effective datasets

Precise data annotation is important for the new generation of autonomous parking monitoring systems. However, starting and managing an annotation operation can be an expensive distraction for AI developers. Outsourcing annotation to Keymakr can help streamline the annotation process.

• Secure data: Images and video for smart parking models feature private data, like number plates. This means that it is necessary to keep data secure. Keymakr uses encryption, data expiration, VPNs and more to keep your data safe.
• Communication: It can be difficult to communicate and troubleshoot with a remote, crowdsourced workforce. Keymakr’s in house team of annotators can respond quickly to changes and instructions.
• Controlling costs: Outsourcing allows AI companies to scale annotation up and down as data needs change.

Contact a team member to book your personalized demo today.