FastPrk-2 · Project

Smart Parking Sensors That Cut Driver Search Time and City Congestion

transportMarket-readyTRL 8

Imagine driving around the block for 20 minutes looking for a parking spot — burning fuel, wasting time, clogging traffic. This project built tiny wireless sensors embedded in parking spaces that know instantly whether a spot is free or taken, with almost 100% accuracy. The data feeds into a city-wide system that guides drivers to open spots and gives parking operators real-time dashboards to manage their streets. Think of it as a "Google Maps" layer specifically for finding on-street parking, powered by IoT sensors and smart analytics.

By the numbers

$1.56 trillion

Projected smart city market size by 2020

12M

European parking spaces available for smart parking

190M

Additional European spaces likely to become regulated

60M

Target parking spaces to manage by 2019

~100%

Sensor occupancy detection accuracy

2.7M€

Worldsensing annual turnover

30+

Worldsensing employees

The business problem

What needed solving

Cities lose revenue and create congestion because on-street parking is unmonitored — drivers circle blocks burning fuel while empty spots sit invisible. With 190 million European parking spaces likely to become regulated, cities and parking operators need accurate, scalable sensor systems to manage this growing infrastructure. The gap between available parking and real-time visibility costs cities money and costs drivers time.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered a complete smart on-street parking system: IoT occupancy sensors with almost 100% accuracy, a system architecture combining hardware sensors with software analytics tools, and a platform for parking data analysis. Deliverables included a finished Fastprk-2 product, prototype demonstration with field trial results, and product demonstration with field trial results.

Audience

Who needs this

Municipal parking authorities managing regulated on-street spacesSmart city integrators building urban IoT infrastructureCommercial real estate managers improving visitor parking experienceTraffic management companies reducing urban congestionParking enforcement operators seeking real-time occupancy data

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Municipal Parking Management

enterprise

Target: City parking authorities and regulated parking operators

If you are a municipal parking operator dealing with inefficient enforcement and lost revenue from unmonitored on-street spaces — this project developed a full-featured smart parking system with almost 100% accurate occupancy sensors and analytics tools. With 12 million European parking spaces ready for smart monitoring and 190 million more likely to become regulated, this technology directly addresses the gap between available spaces and real-time visibility.

Smart City Solutions

mid-size

Target: Urban planning and smart city integrators

If you are a smart city integrator looking for proven IoT parking infrastructure — this project delivered a sensor-to-software platform that was field-tested and demonstrated as a finished product. The system provides cutting-edge hardware sensors combined with software tools that optimize transport management through parking data analytics, fitting into broader smart city deployments.

Commercial Real Estate & Retail

any

Target: Shopping center and commercial district managers

If you are a retail district manager struggling with customer complaints about parking availability — this project built sensors and analytics that show real-time occupancy across your parking zones. By reducing the time drivers spend circling for spots, you cut local congestion and CO2 emissions while improving the customer arrival experience for your tenants.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does the system cost to deploy?

The project data does not include specific pricing per sensor or per parking space. Worldsensing had a turnover of 2.7M€ and strategic investors including Cisco and Mitsui, suggesting an established commercial pricing model. Contact the company directly for current pricing.

Can this scale to cover an entire city?

Yes. The project explicitly targeted managing 60 million parking spaces by 2019. The system architecture was designed for city-wide deployment across European cities with more than 20,000 inhabitants, covering a potential market of 190 million regulated spaces in Europe alone.

Who owns the intellectual property and how is it licensed?

Worldsensing SL is the sole consortium partner and coordinator, meaning all IP developed under FastPrk-2 is held by the company. As an SME Instrument Phase 2 project, the technology was developed for direct commercial exploitation by Worldsensing.

How accurate are the parking sensors?

The project reports almost 100% accuracy for occupancy detection. This was validated through both prototype demonstration and product-level field trials, as documented in the project deliverables.

Is this compliant with city regulations and data privacy requirements?

The system was designed specifically for regulated parking environments. Based on available project data, the focus was on enhancing regulated parking spots with occupancy sensors. Specific GDPR or local compliance certifications should be confirmed directly with Worldsensing.

What is the deployment timeline for a typical installation?

The project moved from prototype demonstration to finished product demonstration with field trials within the 2016-2018 project period. Based on available project data, the system was field-tested and ready for deployment, but specific installation timelines per city should be discussed with the company.

Does it integrate with existing parking infrastructure?

The system was built as a full-featured on-street parking solution with both hardware sensors and software analytics tools. It provides data to both parking management companies and drivers, suggesting integration capabilities with existing parking enforcement and navigation systems.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a single-company project — Worldsensing SL from Spain is both the coordinator and sole partner. The consortium is 100% industry, 100% SME. This is typical for SME Instrument Phase 2 projects, where EU funding goes directly to one company to scale a near-market product. For a business buyer, this is actually a strong signal: there is one clear vendor, no academic partners to complicate IP ownership, and the company already had strategic backing from Cisco, Mitsui, and FJME before the project. Worldsensing had over 30 employees and 2.7M€ in turnover, positioning them as an established IoT company rather than a startup experiment.

WORLDSENSING SLCoordinator · ES

How to reach the team

Worldsensing SL (Spain) — an established IoT company with public presence. Contact findable via company website or LinkedIn.

Order a report on this consortium See WORLDSENSING SL profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want a tailored brief on how FastPrk-2 technology fits your city's parking challenges? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the Worldsensing team.

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