Campus Smart Park

Inspiration

Every day, commuter students spend valuable time circling parking lots, hoping to find an open space. We wanted to create a smarter, faster, and fairer way for students to park. One that verifies passes automatically and gives everyone real-time visibility into lot availability. Our inspiration came from the frustration we all feel when we’re running late to class but can’t find a spot, and from the belief that technology can simplify campus mobility.

What it does

Campus Smart Park helps commuter students quickly find available parking spaces across campus.

How it works:

• Smart Entry System: Once verified, students can tap their phone (via Apple or Samsung Wallet) to enter commuter lots.
• Live Parking Data: The app automatically updates lot occupancy in real time as students enter and exit, showing which lots have open spaces and displays on a table beside the map.
• Interactive Map: A clean, 3D campus map highlights all commuter and housing lots (C1, C4, C8, C12, MP1, MP3, MP4, MP60E, H19, HH1, HHMP) so users can navigate easily.

This solution saves time, reduces congestion, and gives commuters confidence knowing where to park before they even arrive.

How we built it

• Technology Stack -- Backend: Python to handle API requests for verification and lot tracking. -- Database: Used mock data for testing but structured for easy migration to SQLite or Firebase for live student data integration. -- Frontend: Tkinter Library to provide an interactive desktop interface for students to view lots and see live space updates in real time. -- Mapping: Modified a 3D campus map to highlight commuter and housing lots and nearby streets to make navigation intuitive.

Challenges we ran into

-- Frontend-backend communication: Setting up smooth communication between Tkinter and Python. -- UI layout: Designing an interactive Tkinter interface that felt intuitive and visually engaging was challenging within the library’s limitations. -- Real-time updates: Synchronizing live parking data between multiple user sessions required creative testing solutions.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

-- Built a fully functional Python-only prototype integrating both GUI and backend services. -- Designed a digital campus parking map that highlights all commuter lots and displays space availability.

What we learned

-- How to translate a real-world problem into a functional, technical prototype in limited time -- How to code in python and utilize tkinter to create a UI.

What's next for Campus Smart Park

• Implementation at University of Oklahoma: -- Integrate student login authentication through the OU portal (OAuth). --Move from mock data to a live SQLite or Firebase database.

Built With

• python
• tkinter