It sounds like any number of parking apps, but there’s a twist. Unlike similar systems, like San Francisco’s Streetline, ParkPGH not only counts existing open parking spaces but predicts which lots will have a free space by the time a driver gets there. The system relies on an algorithm designed by Dr. Robert Hampshire at Carnegie Mellon University, and uses historical data and current events to predict how many parking spaces will be filled at any given time.

The research was brought to reality through the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, and developed with support from Traffic21, an intelligent transit research program within Carnegie Mellon’s Heinz College. As Pittsburgh is a learning lab for future research, it wouldn’t be a surprise if other cities’ smart parking programs gained predictive functionality.
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