We are only at the beginning of the data revolution
Supporting management and policies with smart software. We have been working on it for years, also in the parking industry. Yet we are still going to make great advancements, if it is up to Ernst Bos of Monit Data. Connecting yet even more data will take off. Not as an end-goal, but to make management and policy more effective and efficient
Meeting the growing demand for data
Many people are familiar with Bos as the director of Spark parking consultancy. Now he explains his vision as director of Monit. So first some introductions. Monit offers data-driven insights for on- and off-street parking, EV charging and bicycle parking. To achieve this, the company has proven to be a pioneer in unlocking and consolidate the often very different data formats from parking equipment. With this innovative approach, Monit has grown into a market leader in just a few years, and now serves amongst others the largest Dutch municipalities. Since these early days, Bos has seen an ever-growing demand for data: “The possibilities for collecting data quickly and efficiently and making them accessible are increasing dramatically. And we are getting a better idea of how we can use that data as best as possible for policies and operational management.. So technology and demand are increasingly finding each other better.
One of the challenges we see in the Netherlands in the near future will include the growth of bicycle parking data. Having started in the larger cities, migrating the ‘free for all’ bicycle parking on the streets to managed facilities is now becoming a national trend. The demand for data is therefore increasing, but cannot yet be met. If only because bicycles simply don’t have license plates.”
Parking Monitor
The core product is the Parking Monitor, a cloud software suite that offers operational, policy makers and financial staff of governments and private operators data-driven insights. Available amongst others are modules for occupancy, financial analysis, operational management, enforcement and EV charging points. Bos: “Making the right decisions based on the many data generated by modern parking equipment is a challenge. We convert this raw data into clear insights. For on- and off-street and EV, via our links with suppliers and scan car data. Our customers no longer spend their time on tedious manual data collection, but on optimizing management, policies and financial performance.”
The Parking Monitor can be combined with the Meldman, which allows users to see equipment outages, incidents and planned maintenance in one overview and then take targeted action, and with Vtag, which allows bicycle parking facilities to be digitally managed with one application.
Map display of parking occupancy and -rights measured with the scan car.
Financial accountability
We spoke to Bos in the context of the Trendboek, so the question is of course whether data-driven management is indeed a trend. “Certainly,” said Bos. “The integration of all kinds of data flows is still in its infancy. And it is increasingly demand-driven. Monit is also continuously working to provide maximum support to our users and their processes with our applications. For example for financial accountability. We not only collect data from all sources and bring them together, but also check bank details to see whether payments have actually been made. With this audit of the entire parking payment process from start to finish, the outstanding funds are received faster and more efficiently with less effort.”
‘The solutions for collecting data quickly and efficiently and making it accessible are increasing significantly’
Policies
In addition to managing the operational side of parking management in a municipality, the Parking Monitor also offers valuable insights and tools at policy level. “And there is a lot of demand for that. Because with the increasingly scarce public space in the Netherlands needed for more and more uses by our society, insight into parking occupancy rates is becoming increasingly important. We are developing more and more options for that insight, such as the use of a scan car data for measuring parking occupancy. By conducting such measurements more regular and cost-efficient, this helps to further optimize policies in a shorter time-cycle.
A recent example of this was to use new and better parking insights gained from observed data instead of using pre-existing industry standards in an urban planning project. Therefore an analysis was made of the use of parking spaces by residents and visitors using data from 15 municipalities. The hypothesis of many experts was that the existing industry standard used in the Netherlands was set too high. With the data from Monit it was possible to demonstrate that this was correct. The actual parking occupancy was measured and was indeed lower than the industry standards. This allowed urban planners to free up parking spaces for other uses.”
‘Heat map’ of parking occupancy over the week as measured with the scan car.
Only at the beginning
According to Bos, we are only at the beginning of the data revolution. “All kinds of data streams will converge in the near future. Certainly also in the parking and mobility domain. Consider, for example, data from different modes of transport. But also other sources of information relevant to the user, such as the most current traffic data and weather information. You can respond to every question with better data to arrive at a better solution. These are often aimed at optimizing operations and management. But with even smarter use of the data you can collect, I foresee a growth of the usage of data for urban mobility policies. Which can also strengthen the cooperation between municipalities. Or stimulate the development of MaaS (Mobility as a Service). And especially with the large staff shortages in the sector, the time savings that you can achieve as an organization with smart tools is very valuable.”
This article was written in collaboration with the Dutch publication ‘Trendboek Mobiliteit’. This publication on mobility trends you can read more about the latest developments and expert views about the very dynamic field of mobility. A subject that is relevant for all of us, from both our professional expertise and how we as individuals experience the environment we live in.
The publication Trends 2024 contains 36 interviews with government, research and solution provider parties. You can read the entire trend book free of charge via this link (Dutch only).
