What is an Automated Parking Guidance System (APGS)?
Table of Contents
Finding parking in a busy garage is more than an inconvenience, it’s an ever-present challenge that wastes time, creates congestion, and leads to customer dissatisfaction. Whether in airports, casinos, hospitals, universities, or other developments, drivers regularly spend precious time circling the parking facility to search for open spaces, adding unnecessary stress to their journey and needless strain on the facility’s operator.
First-generation parking guidance systems (PGS) emerged in response to this common problem. These systems help drivers locate open spaces using sensors and lighting indicators. And, while these systems were groundbreaking for their time, expectations (and parking environments) have evolved significantly. Today’s facilities require more than basic occupancy detection. They need intelligent guidance technology capable of increasing efficiency, enhancing safety, and delivering measurable business value.
Enter the camera-based automated parking guidance system. An APGS represents the next generation of parking infrastructure: highly accurate, data-rich, camera-based systems that enable operators to optimize facilities, enhance customer experience, and unlock new revenue opportunities.
Monitoring space by space, the APGS has become a must-have technology for any business or entity seeking to operate more efficiently, elevate the customer experience, and maximize revenue opportunities.
That’s why we created the Park Assist Solution, an automated parking guidance system designed to meet the evolving demands of today’s parking environments. Built to monitor parking space by space, the Park Assist Solution delivers real-time visibility into garage activity while laying the foundation for smarter operations and better experiences.
For parkers, a row of overhead green and red LED lights denote where unoccupied spaces are, allowing them to quickly and smoothly find a desirable place to park. For clients, the rich data collected by our camera-based parking management solution helps facility owners and operators to intimately understand the goings-on of their garage and forecast activity and staffing, making facilities more customer-focused, more efficient, and more profitable.
Early-generation parking guidance systems relied primarily on ultrasonic sensors (small, ceiling-mounted devices that detect occupancy using reflected sound waves.) While helpful in guiding drivers, these ultrasonic systems came with considerable limitations including the lack of visual verification, surveillance, or rich data collection capabilities.
| Feature/Metric | The Park Assist Solution | Legacy Ultrasonic Sensor |
|---|---|---|
| Core Technology | Dual HS Camera-Based | Sound Wave Detection |
| Accuracy | 99%+ Verified | 95%+ (Industry Average) |
| On-board Intelligence | Yes (Distributed Intelligence) | No / Minimal |
| Surveillance Capability | Yes (24/7 HD Streaming) | None |
| Revenue Generation | Yes (Park SelectRate™) | None |
| Installation Disruption | Minimal / Sectional | Complex (Requires Shutdown) |
Modern camera-based parking management systems like the Park Assist Solution are redefining what is possible. Using dual HD cameras paired with embedded processing, these smart sensors don’t just detect vehicles. They go a step further and interpret what’s happening in the garage – the status of the parking space changed and the why. This leap in capability is why camera-based parking guidance is rapidly becoming the global standard.
Elevating the Parking Experience with an Automated Parking Guidance System
The main goal of an automated parking guidance system (APGS) is to reduce stress, uncertainty, and obstacles for drivers when parking. An effective intelligent parking solution makes parking easier for customers, providing a smooth and stress-free experience. Our parking management system helps drivers find open parking spots easily, which reduces traffic congestion in the parking lot and surrounding areas, improving the overall flow of traffic. Our advanced APGS uses a network of camera-based garage parking sensors to track available spaces in real-time. This system works well in garages, surface lots, and rooftop lots alike. The familiar green and red LEDs above the driving lane enable parkers to quickly find an open space, greatly reducing the time needed to park. As a result, parkers reach their destination faster and more relaxed.
Providing Unprecedented Insights to Improve Parking Management
The Park Assist Solution, an automated parking guidance system (APGS), collects detailed data and analytics in INX, our proprietary software. These insights provide valuable information about customer preferences, usage trends, and costs. This empowers you to fine-tune your business strategies and procedures to operate more efficiently and profitably.
Creating Accessible Wayfinding through Smart Parking Solutions
A digital sign at each key decision point helps drivers find their way through the parking facility with ease. Our patented smart-sensor cameras send real-time updates to this network of digital wayfinding signage to quickly direct parkers to open spaces. This network of signage includes:
- Signs upon arrival. For properties with multiple parking areas, a multi-facility sign announces the number of available spaces at each garage or surface lot. This helps drivers decide on the best area to park in, at any given moment, without having to explore them all.
- Secondary signage within a chosen garage. Once a driver has chosen a specific garage, a dedicated sign displays the number of available spaces on each level.
- Directional interior in-aisle pointers. At each level, these signs help drivers to make on-the-spot decisions (left, right, or straight) based on the displayed number of available spaces in each direction.
- Signaling color-coded LEDs on the smart-sensor cameras. Driving toward a green LED light, the driver successfully occupies the only open space at the end of the aisle. The vehicle parks. This is when the smart-sensors close the loop for the wayfinding process. The LED light turns red indicating no available parking spaces nearby.
- Car locator features. Using license plate recognition (LPR) technology, an automated parking guidance system (APGS) can also keep track of parked vehicles throughout the facility. Parkers can quickly locate their vehicle via touchscreen kiosks, a connected parking app, or a finder-enabled pay station.
Equipping Drivers with Real-Time Wayfinding Information
The wayfinding benefits of smart parking solutions, such as an automated parking guidance system (APGS), are further extended with connected cars and mobile apps. This enables parkers to begin their search from wherever they live or work. Then upon arriving to their chosen garage, they can quickly navigate to the level and space that best suits their needs.
Providing an Added Sense of Safety and Security to Parkers
Parkers are anxious about their own personal safety and the security of their property. Traditional parking garage security systems typically only focus on stairwells and elevator lobbies and often lack unobstructed views of key areas where undesirable events can take place: in and between the parking spaces themselves. To provide the best in surveillance, camera-based sensors are installed above the driving lane. Every sensor has one or two HD CMOS cameras, monitoring up to six parking spaces, three on each side. This unique vantage point allows operators to have an unobstructed view of each parking bay – in and between parking spaces. At such a unique vantage point, this provides an unobstructed view of each parking bay, including between vehicles.
Enhancing Parking Facility Surveillance with a Bird’s-Eye Vantage Point
Camera-based automated parking guidance system (APGS) sensors also serve to enhance and augment traditional security systems. Providing both a functional and a visual deterrent to theft, vandalism, and assaults. The Park Assist Solution’s smart parking sensors can increase your surveillance capabilities, capturing streaming HD video whenever motion is detected in or around a space. With an expanded level of security that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive, owners and operators can guard against liabilities due to theft, assaults, and fraudulent claims — while leveraging integrated license plate recognition (LPR) to identify and report any known threat vehicles that enter or exit a facility.
Maximize Profitability with Park SelectRate™
Dynamic pricing lets operators create tiered parking experiences (for example, premium, standard, long-term, or VIP) all without additional equipment such as gates or ticketing hardware. This capability provides frictionless revenue capture and helps facilities fully monetize their real estate.
Enhance Security with Integrated Park Surveillance
The Park Assist Solution, an automated parking guidance system (APGS), collects detailed data and analytics in INX, our proprietary software. These insights provide valuable information about customer preferences, usage trends, and costs. This empowers you to fine-tune your business strategies and procedures to operate more efficiently and profitably.
Elevate the Customer Journey with Park Finder
No more lost vehicles. Using license plate recognition and encrypted video search, Park Finder allows guests to locate their vehicle instantly via kiosk, mobile app, or integration into an owner’s digital ecosystem, something no traditional occupancy sensor could ever provide.
Our INX platform transforms raw sensor data into actionable intelligence. Through a customizable dashboard, operators can monitor occupancy, predict peak hours, evaluate dwell time, and analyze turnover to inform business decisions.
This platform is modular and scalable, supported by advanced API integrations, analytics packages, and customer experience tools such as:
- Ops Command+ Package
- Business Development+ Package
- Customer Experience+ Package
INX ensures that our parking guidance system remains future-ready as customer needs and facility infrastructure evolve.
An APGS from TKH Security, the Park Assist Solution, is more than a collection of sensors. It is the foundation of a smart parking infrastructure that’s engineered for continuous performance.
At the core is the M5 Smart Sensor. These ceiling-mounted sensors are equipped with dual HD cameras, providing per-space monitoring, lighting guidance, on-board intelligence, and surveillance.
Each sensor performs real-time processing at the edge, a concept known as “Distributed Intelligence”. This architecture ensures that guidance, availability monitoring, and camera functionality continue uninterrupted even if network connections are degraded. Unlike centralized models, the system will not fail if a single server encounters an issue.
Signs Upon Arrival
Smart sensors with LEDs are the heart of a camera-based parking guidance system. These parking space sensors detect the presence of vehicles and relay this information to the system’s central management software, like our INX, enabling accurate tracking of available and occupied spaces. LED lights on an advanced parking guidance system (PGS) can display a wide range of colors and be customized remotely. For example, blue for an ADA-compliant handicapped space or purple for an electric vehicle space.
Wayfinding Signage
Digital wayfinding signage plays a vital role in directing parkers to available spaces. Positioned strategically at key decision points within the facility, such as at level entry/exit points, the end of the aisle, and in the aisle, these signs display real-time information gathered from single space parking sensors, guiding parkers to the nearest open parking spaces.
Central Management Software
The central management software, like our INX, serves as the brain of the PGS, collecting data from smart sensors and displaying it on wayfinding signage and digital displays. This software also analyzes parking trends, generates reports, and provides valuable insights to optimize parking operations.
Mobile Apps and Connectivity
Modern car parking systems often include mobile apps that allow parkers to check space availability, reserve parking spots, and navigate to their chosen parking space. These apps leverage the connectivity of garage parking sensors and central management software to provide real-time updates to parkers.
Security Features
In addition to guiding parkers with our single space parking sensors, our car parking system incorporates surveillance security features and integrated license plate recognition (LPR) technology. These features enhance safety and security by monitoring activities, identifying potential threats, and protecting the facility against fraudulent claims. By integrating these core components, a parking guidance system (PGS) creates a cohesive and intelligent parking environment that minimizes stress for parkers, optimizes parking space utilization, and enhances overall operational efficiency. These components work in harmony to deliver a superior parking experience.
Camera-based parking guidance delivers measurable improvements from day one. Across global deployments, operators have recorded:
- Up to 63% reduction in time to park
- 99%+ occupancy accuracy, verified in operational environments
At Philadelphia International Airport, for example, camera-based guidance has materially improved traffic flow, customer satisfaction, and parking turnover demonstrating the system’s ability to scale across one of the world’s busiest travel hubs.
What makes a camera-based parking guidance system more reliable than ultrasonic sensors?
Not only do camera-based APGS provide more capabilities than ultrasonic sensors of the past, our Park Assist Solution provides high levels of verified accuracy and stands up to extreme conditions for a long life in any application.
Can APGS be installed in an active parking facility without shutting down the garage?
Yes. Unlike legacy systems, our Park Assist Solution, an automated parking guidance system, is a “no downtime” installation, allowing the facility to remain open and operational. Even other parking guidance systems available today require a full shutdown of each floor for installation.
Does APGS integrate with existing payment or access systems?
Yes. The Park Assist Solution can seamlessly integrate with a wide variety of third-party systems and parking solutions via a secure connection.
Is the Park Assist Solution system scalable?
Incredibly. The Park Assist Solution is built on a core foundation that can be extended to meet the needs of a single garage or a complex, multi-site development.
Today’s parking challenges require more than general guidance. They demand intelligence, automation, and flexibility.
An automated parking guidance system from TKH Security improves customer experience, strengthens security, and drives increased profitability from the same physical footprint. More importantly, it positions parking as a strategic business asset.
Ready to see how a parking management system like the Park Assist Solution can elevate your operation? Schedule a demo or speak with a TKH Security expert to explore system capabilities and installation options for your unique space.
