Looking for somewhere to park on city streets is a main cause of urban congestion and pollution. PARC has developed an analytics-based engine that dynamically adjusts parking rates (usually $3 to $5 per hour) based on demand for spaces. It models how people choose parking spaces and the flexibility that drivers have about where, when and for how long they stay. The parking engine is now being tested in Xerox’s new Merge parking management system, which is a single portal for managing a city’s meters, pay-by-mobile phone, sensors, enforcement and collections. Wireless, battery-powered sensors are installed in each parking space. The system is now being tested on 7,000 spaces in downtown Los Angeles.

via PARC Hard at Work to Solve Problems in Health Care, Batteries, Traffic.

Transportation: Making It Easier to Park With Dynamic Pricing (deployed in LA)
Transportation: Using Analytics to Make Public Transportation Networks More Effective (deployed in Europe)