A mobile application leveraging QR-codes to support efficient urban parking

In urban areas, finding a convenient place for car parking may determine a significant waste of energy, as well as environmental pollution. The introduction of proper software tools can indeed contribute to limit the environmental impact of inefficient car parking. By making use of a mobile application and a corresponding adequate information system, it is possible both to speed up the car parking process (from the user viewpoint), and to improve the parking areas´ management. The application described here is characterized by some novel aspects: i) a QR code can be used to identify the parking spot, and to trigger the parking process; ii) a parking spot can be possibly reserved; iii) global information on parking occupancy can be made available to other applications to better manage services of public utility (e.g., urban traffic control). The benefits from the adoption of the proposed solution can be regarded as a small yet fundamental step toward a more sustainable approach to living in urban areas.