Clemson Parking Tracker

Easily find parking on Clemson's campus using the Clemson Parking Tracker, which shows the availability of each parking lot in real time.

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Inspiration

Every Clemson student knows the struggles of finding parking. Instead of driving around looking for a parking spot, we wanted to instantly where there are spots to park.

What it does

Pressure sensors embedded at the entrances and exits of each lot allow us to keep track of the current number of cars in each lot. A display at the entrance shows the number of spots remaining for a lot. The lot data is sent to an API, which is used by our website to display an interactive map of each lot's availability.

How we built it

We used a Raspberry Pi cluster to monitor entrances. Push buttons simulate the pressure sensors that would be at each entrance. An LCD screen displays the spots remaining in a lot. 3d printed cars and speedbumps help simulate cars entering and leaving lots. A python script runs to collect the data, then updates the API and LCD screen for the lot.

We used fastapi and python to create our API. Deta was used to deploy the API. The API has endpoints allowing for updating the count of cars in a lot, getting lot information, and getting a geojson file of the lots for use with mapbox on the website.

Our website was written using html and javascript, and uses mapbox to display a map of Clemson. Each lot is colored on the map to indicate how full it is. Hovering over a lot displays information about it. The website calls the API on a timer to get updated data.

Challenges we ran into

We struggled creating and hosting the API. Most of our team was not familiar with creating APIs, and none of us had hosted an API before. Setting up the website hosting was also a challenge; pointing to the correct domain was a challenge, as well as getting the website to deploy.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Creating an interactive and visually appealing website
  • Creating an API despite a lack of experience
  • Integrating hardware with our project using Raspberry Pi

What we learned

We learned how to create and host an API, use mapbox, host a website with AWS Amplify, and interface with devices using a Raspberry Pi

What's next for Clemson Parking Tracker

Hopefully, this prototype will inspire Clemson University to install a similar system in their parking lots

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