Nexpa System: Video Analytics-based Smart Parking Solutions

Lee Sang Joon, CEO

There is an evident fragmentation in the way one of the most popular and necessary smart city solutions—smart parking— is delivered. Most vendors either provide parking guidance system (PGS) or parking management system (PMS). As the concept of smart cities becomes mainstream and proponents of each category continue battling to prove the relevance of either, Singapore and South Korea-based Nexpa System demonstrates how fusing the two is actually the future for smart parking. Chiding traditional parking guidance solutions such as ultrasound and geo-magnetic, Nexpa System delivers a holistic and modular smart parking solution by combining video-analytics technology and one single powerful operation platform

The firm’s smart parking solution detects vehicles, recognizes license plate numbers, and tracks them in the entire parking process from the entry to the exit automatically and transfers the data to the operation platform. That shows the occupancy level with the guidance signage and lights up signals with programmable colors (more than 256 different) for parking lots such as occupied, empty, disabled, staff, VIP as needed on LED indicator embedded in Nexpa’s IP camera sensors. The system distinguishes a pre-registered vehicle from a non-registered one such as staff, VIP, and so on at the entrance with LPR machine, and, accordingly, guides the driver to the reserved parking area (for pre-registered ones), or to an empty slot, if available (for non-registered ones). The whole process for using the car park is recorded for customer data collection and calculation of total parking charges. Once the vehicle owner comes back, a KIOSK and/or mobile application guides the owner to the parked vehicle with the route map showing the shortest way from the current location and its payment interface allows the parking charges to be paid seamlessly. The system recognizes the received payments and the exit gate is automatically unlocked and the exit LPR system records the departure.

The whole process can be monitored seamlessly through Nexpa’s one single platform which is controllable from an integrated command center. The software readily recognizes illegal parking and can quickly respond to disasters (fire and flood situation and so on), emergencies or crimes in the parking facility via alarms. Better recognition of illegal parking by the NEXPA’s solution allows operators to avoid losing out on any revenue opportunity and get the evidences to make the driver to hold the responsibility so that it can reduce illegal parking, and round-the-clock video recordings enable quick identification of perpetrators in the event of any unlawful activity.

Equipped with “Deep Learning” algorithms, our core video analytics engines including the license plate recognition improves the recognition rates continually based on the past data

Thus, in addition to being a comprehensive smart parking solution, the IP video-imaging system in combination with the PGS also acts as an accurate, real-time surveillance monitoring solution for the client. The software, equipped with multiple features, further allows for dynamic reporting and periodic analysis of the operational data that help users to improve situational management, manage revenues, and take better business decisions.

“Equipped with “Deep Learning” algorithms, our core video analytics engines including the license plate recognition improve the recognition rates continually based on the past data to drive better performance, also our main goal is to evolve with a new technology which is more efficient, profitable, and sustainable,” remarks Lee Sang Joon, CEO, Nexpa System. Jay H. Yu, EVP of the company, adds that such high competence of the system has improved the license recognition success to about 99 percent and has driven a higher overall satisfaction for both the firm’s customers and vehicle owners. For instance, Nexpa’s platform vastly improved the parking management, security surveillance, and parking service at the Changi International Airport (Singapore, ranked number one at the 2017 World Airport) which was hamstrung by the usage of previous-generation ultrasonic sensors for parking guidance. For an individual vehicle owner, the system made it easy to search parking slots, park cars faster, and avoid accident-related worries.

The solution’s value proposition lies in the integration of sensing, surveillance, and analytical capabilities, and consolidating them further underlines Nexpa’s future plan. The CTO of the firm, JS Kim says, “In the near future, our solution would be able to recognize vehicles by their color, shape, and manufacturer details and the information analysis would be entirely automated.” Nexpa is also betting big on the autonomous parking in connection with connected cars and cloud-based operation platform. In future, the parking is not our job any more, and leaving the car in front of the destination will be enough. The auto parking solution will remove the tiresome task of waiting and help to use the space more efficiently parking much closer. Furthermore, the entire parking management software will be operated based on the cloud platform that allows easy installation, maintenance, and reduction of costs, and will also be one of the structure for big data.

Recently, Nexpa launched its new omni-directional IP camera sensor solution using fisheye lens to propose much cost effective system to the customer and help facilitate smart parking in the cities throughout the World that provides car detection, license plate recognition, 360-degree surveillance, and other features at much lower costs.