U.S. Department of Transportation Offers Webinar on Smart Columbus Program's Event Parking Management Project

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) will host a free webinar on the Smart Columbus Program's Event Parking Management (EPM) project. The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, September 13, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm ET.

Background

Through the USDOT's Smart City Challenge, the Department selected Columbus, OH, in 2016, to define what it means to be a "smart city" and serve as a model for other cities wishing to fully integrate innovative technologies--such as automated vehicles, connected vehicles, and applications--into the transportation network.

Columbus is acting as a laboratory for intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and disseminating lessons learned and best practices to cities across the United States in an effort known as Smart Columbus. The goal of the Smart Columbus program is to connect people by creating opportunity for city residents to better access jobs and services while improving the overall safety and efficiency of the city's transportation network. The Smart Columbus program is comprised of nine individual projects covering three themes--enabling technologies, emerging technologies, and enhanced human services.

Parking in a downtown or popular tourist area can be challenging even for the most experienced residents and visitors. The EPM project intends to improve the experience. The EPM is one of nine Smart Columbus projects that will focus on providing more parking information to the public, including prepayment for parking in available garages and lots in the downtown and Short North areas. The EPM will also show predictive analytics related to the availability of parking meters citywide.

The application, which will also be available on the web, will allow users to research parking options in advance. Users will be able to identify parking locations and check pricing, hours of operation, and specialty parking availability such as handicap, electric vehicle charging, and oversized vehicles. Some parking garages and lots will also offer advance payment, allowing travelers to avoid a last-minute hunt for a parking space. The application will also use historical parking meter data and probe vehicle data to predict the availability of a meter in a certain area.

Webinar Details

This webinar will focus on the Concept of Operations (ConOps) for the EPM developed by the City of Columbus. The ConOps conveys a high-level view of the system to be implemented from the viewpoint of each stakeholder. It frames the overall system, sets the technical course for the project, and serves as a bridge between early project motivations and the technical requirements. Finally, the ConOps offers stakeholders--and the larger ITS community--the opportunity to provide input on how the proposed system should function, which will help build consensus and create a single vision for the system moving forward. 

This webinar is the third in a series of webinars focusing on ConOps and trade studies developed as part of the Smart Columbus program. Stay tuned for more upcoming public webinars from the Smart Columbus program. 

Summary

Title: Smart Columbus Program Event Parking Management (EPM) Project ConOps Webinar
Date: Thursday, September 13, 2018
Time: 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm ET
Registration: https://goo.gl/forms/0nk7s0qsoUvEN2uU2

For more information on the Smart Columbus program, please visit the City of Columbus's website at: https://www.columbus.gov/smartcolumbus/home/.