Pictured left to right: John Good, Ford; Stephanie Miello, Ford; Shawn Conrad, CAE, IPMI; Dave Onorato, CAPP, IPMI & Public Parking Authority of Pittsburgh; Bryan Martin, Ford; Michael Drow, CAPP, Parking Revenue Recovery Services; Dawn Thompson, ACM; Kevin Mull, Bosch; Sean Nelson, City of Detroit, Municipal Parking Department; Keith Hutchings, City of Detroit, Municipal Parking Department.

 

Parking and Mobility Execs Meet at Detroit Smart Parking Lab to Collaborate on Industry Initiatives

 

Alexandria, Virginia – Leaders from the International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI) recently met with executives from Ford Motor Company, the American Center for Mobility (ACM), Bosch, and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) at the Detroit Smart Parking Lab hosted at Bedrock’s Assembly Garage in Detroit, Michigan.

Prompted by emerging technology and changes in the industry, IPMI brought together innovators and leaders from these organizations to tour the Detroit Smart Parking Lab. Their goal was to examine the research and technology initiatives being pioneered at the Lab to enhance on-the-ground applications with IPMI members.  To advance emerging technology and provide cutting-edge resources, IPMI will launch partnerships with this powerful group of innovators in the heart of Motor City.

Representatives developed multiple platforms to collaborate on industry initiatives that could share and utilize the comprehensive testing facilities at the Detroit Smart Parking Lab. Representatives from Bosch and the American Center for Mobility, which operates the Smart Parking Lab, shared opportunities to test automated valet parking, electric vehicle charging, and staging of rental cars in a fully autonomous environment.

IPMI will connect this ground-breaking research to our members – organizations that can leverage, tailor, and enhance these programs in their future operations as parking and transportation evolves into more comprehensive mobility ecosystems.

In addition, as a founding partner of the Alliance for Parking Data Standards (APDS), IPMI brings the global APDS community and resources to the table to support ACM’s research.  The APDS data specification, now formally adopted by the International Standards Organization (ISO), provides the framework to share data. ACM and other stakeholders will be able to utilize this free, open-source framework to share data streams seamlessly between different organizations and software platforms.  By breaking down communication silos and eliminating the need for costly and time-consuming custom software integrations, APDS specifications can streamline innovation across multiple partners and platforms, providing faster data and benchmarking at reduced cost to all parties.

“IPMI and our parking and mobility professionals, collaborating with OEMs and the American Center for Mobility, will help streamline how vehicles in the future are able to efficiently and safely navigate about our cities and communities,” said IPMI CEO Shawn Conrad, CAE. “These are exciting times for those that work in the transportation industry. There are countless opportunities ahead that will allow many options for how consumers want to travel for work and pleasure. To fully capitalize on these opportunities, it’s important to collaborate with diverse partners so that all aspects on one’s travel experience has been accounted for.”

Spearheading the effort to coordinate with automakers (OEMs), autonomous vehicle researchers, parking and mobility professionals, planners, and other stakeholders, IPMI will lead the way to educate our members and the industry at large to provide safe and efficient practices that fully utilize public right of ways and off-street parking facilities as garages evolve to become full-scale mobility hubs in the future.  To find out more, visit parking-mobility.org.

About IPMI

If you own a car, use public transportation, go to work or school, use health care, shop or dine out, or are part of a community, parking affects you, probably in more ways than you’ve thought about.  The International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI) is the world’s largest association of professionals in parking, transportation, and mobility — professionals who keep all of us moving.

IPMI works to advance the parking and mobility profession through professional development, research and data collection, advocacy, and outreach, and with experts from around the world in dozens of specialties to make sure parking and transportation function efficiently so people, businesses, and communities can keep moving.

About The Detroit Smart Parking Lab (DSPL)

The DSPL is a physical parking structure operated by the American Center for Mobility, offering an open innovation and collaboration site open for real-world testing of parking-related mobility technologies, logistics and electric vehicle charging.

The DSPL offers collaboration and a neutral platform to examine ways to improve customer experiences and the efficient movement of vehicles and goods in defined spaces.