Real-time outdoor parking guidance system using image processing / Faiz Muzakkir Zainuddin

The main purpose of this project is to develop a real time outdoor car parking guidance system using image processing technique. With the problems of increasing traffic congestion and shortage of space, difficulties in locating parking spots are a common problem faced by car users. These parking spots are required to be well equipped with appropriate technology in order to assists car users in locating empty parking spot more efficiently. Goals of the outdoor parking guidance system include providing locations of vacant parking spots and real time information about changes in parking spots. The proposed system detects empty parking lots through images instead of using electronic sensors planted on the ground. A camera is installed at a point where all of the parking lots can be fitted in a single camera frame. Each parking lot is planted with a floating balloon that is attached with a string to the ground that acts as parking indicator. These balloons are totally visible to car user and camera vision while the lot is not occupied and .are hidden when a car occupy the lot. The parking system determines the changes in parking lots by processing number of visible balloons captured by the installed camera and the processed information is provided to incoming car user through display at the entry point of the parking lot. In the future, the author planned to improve the parking guidance system by adding automatic HSV setter and using better equipment for both image capture device and output display device.