Google-owned real-life traffic application Waze teams up with transportation data company INRIX to provide drivers with the best parking space available. More than that, the app will suggest locations that are proximal to a client's destination.
The significance of INRIX is related to the availability of a wide range of data which can be fed directly into the application database. Initially, Waze has been in the process of introducing its "where to park" feature which suggests parking lots closest to a user's target area. This component also maps out directions to help individuals reach the selected place. With INRIX in the picture, parking selection has been broadened.
The way the feature works is interactive which means that, as an individual approaches a destination, the app will advise whether or not the person wants to be directed to an available parking location. If the answer is yes then that space will be the ultimate destination. The partnership of INRIX with Samsung in 2015 has been valuable since it brought additional driving tools to the Galaxy S6 and the S6 Edge. Along the way, the firm has also picked up the ParkMe app, which also helped users find and pay for the perfect spot.
According to Flavia Sasaki Siqueira, Waze's head of business development, the firm's "where to park" feature needs to expand in order to enhance the accuracy of reaching a location. She adds that driving around looking for spots does not merely waste time. It stresses and frustrates the driver.
According to Frost and Sullivan's Strategic Analysis of Smart Parking Market in Europe and North America, drivers have wasted an average of 55 hours last year while searching for parking areas. The figure represents nearly $600,000 million in lost time and fuel.
INRIX has accumulated real-time road traffic data from various sources. It offers the information to businesses, municipalities and news outlets. It even provides parking information and services to leading car manufacturers like Audi, BMW, Porsche, Toyota and Volkswagen. The data firm also relays pricing data from cities and private parking areas that will present complete visualizations of where parking is heavy, where it's light and how much will be paid per spot.
