uPark

Over recent years, Cyprus has seen a dramatic increase in road traffic, which has become a nuisance for many, especially in the key urban cities across the island. Today, everything indicates that it will only worsen, representing an undoubted menace to the quality of urban life for the residents and an equally severe challenge for the government. One of the core contributing factors to this problem is the increasing difficulty in providing adequate parking for vehicle operators in urban areas. Having analyzed the issue, we see that the existing, traditional analog means of parking management, which have been operational for many years, fail to offer a working solution. The current method has not only proven ineffective but is one of the actual contributors to the overall traffic problem. We also feel strongly that the solution must not only address the current issues but also pave the way for proactively identifying and preventing new future problems from arising, such as those outlined in Social Development Goals (SDGs) set forth by the United Nations. With digitalization rapidly progressing across all domains and effectively solving complex problems, we are confident that applying and leveraging innovative technology to solve the Cyprus traffic problem is the way forward. Our solution is based on a simple yet logical approach to transitioning from analog to digital parking in Cyprus. This will be achieved by installing specially designed sensors operating on the low-costLoRaWaN network in every individual parking space. Each sensor operates in real-time and is connected to one primary database, which then allows: Parking operators - remotely manage all parking-related services, control/collect payments, monitor performance, and even handle parking violations. Individual drivers - to locate, reserve, share, and pay for parking in real-time, eliminating the time lost when searching for vacant parking.