Parking facility resource management

Abstract

Technologies are generally described for an information system configured to manage parking facility resources. The system can create and apply models and profiles regarding customers, parking space usage, access patterns, events, traffic, and other factors related to the parking facility. Parking facility operators may use the models to seek optimized revenues or profits. Increased revenue for parking facility operators may be supported by allocating resources to longer staying and better paying customers. New opportunities such as reselling, auctions, or options may further improve revenue generation for parking facilities. Customers may interface with the information system for availability queries, interactive reservation, and various other functions that may improve convenience, security, privacy, and service quality for the customers as well as for neighboring businesses and venues. Improved efficiency in parking facility resource consumption may reduce street traffic congestion. Parking security may be improved by adaptive lighting and camera operation.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of revenue generation, the method comprising:
 receiving, by a parking facility information system, a first information regarding one or more parking facilities;   receiving, by the parking facility information system, a second information from a traffic information source;   receiving, by the parking facility information system, a third information from a weather information source;   receiving, by the parking facility information system a fourth information from an event venue information source;   receiving, by the parking facility information system, a fifth information regarding one or more profiles of one or more users;   receiving, by the parking facility information system, a sixth information regarding one or more parking reservation requests made by the one or more users;   determining, by the parking facility information system, based at least on the first information, the second information, the third information, the fourth information, the fifth information, and the sixth information, a demand for one or more parking spaces in the one or more parking facilities for a time period; and   pricing, by the parking facility information system, the one or more parking spaces in the one or more parking facilities for the time period based on the demand.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first information includes information received from instrumentation associated with a number of the one or more parking spaces in the one or more parking facilities. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the instrumentation associated with the number of the one or more parking spaces in the one or more parking facilities includes one or more sensors, one or more cameras, one or more microphones, or a combination of the one or more sensors, the one or more cameras, and the one or more microphones. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the instrumentation associated with the number of the one or more parking spaces in the one or more parking facilities includes one or more mechanisms to collect information on a usage of the one or more parking facilities. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the instrumentation associated with the number of the one or more parking spaces in the one or more parking facilities includes one or more sensors, operator inputs, cameras, global positioning system (GPS) location systems, electromagnetic sensors, card readers, proximity sensors, proximity card readers, and magnetic strip card readers. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second information from the traffic information source includes one or more of foot traffic information and vehicle traffic information. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the third information from the weather information source includes local weather information. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fourth information from the event venue information source includes information regarding an upcoming event or event schedules. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fifth information regarding the one or more profiles of the one or more users includes one or more of:
 a distance from the one or more parking facilities from the one or more users office, home, or destination,   an access time of the one or more parking facilities by the one or more users,   a probability of an occurrence of a particular action by the one or more users under a particular condition, and   aggregated information of the one or more users.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sixth information regarding the one or more parking reservation requests made by the one or more users includes information received from one of a kiosk and a mobile device. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sixth information regarding the one or more parking reservation requests made by the one or more users includes location information received from the one or more users. 
     
     
         12 . A parking facility management system to generate a revenue associated with a parking facility, the parking facility management system comprising:
 a memory; and   a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to:
 receive information from one or more sources; 
 build a model for the parking facility based on the information; 
 determine a demand during a time period for a parking space in the parking facility based on the model; and 
 price the parking space during the time period based on the demand. 
   
     
     
         13 . The parking facility management system of  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 determine a usage pattern for the parking space during the time period based on the model.   
     
     
         14 . The parking facility management system of  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 receive the information from an event venue information source, wherein the information includes an upcoming event.   
     
     
         15 . The parking facility management system of  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 extract a profile of a user from the model;   determine one or more of a habit of the user and a priority of the user based on the profile; and   estimate a probability of a performance of an action by the user under a set of conditions based on the profile.   
     
     
         16 . The parking facility management system of  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to
 receive the information from instrumentation associated with a vehicle traffic information source, wherein the instrumentation includes one or more of a camera, a global positioning system (GPS) location system, and a proximity sensor associated with an automobile.   
     
     
         17 . The parking facility management system of  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 receive the information from a kiosk associated with the parking, facility, wherein the information includes a parking, reservation request made by a user.   
     
     
         18 . The parking facility management system of  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 receive the information from a mobile device of a user, wherein the information includes a parking reservation request made by the user and a geographic location of the parking reservation request.   
     
     
         19 . The parking facility management system of  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 sell a parking right for the parking space during the time period; and   transfer the parking right for the parking space from the parking facility to a user during the time period.   
     
     
         20 . The parking facility management system of  claim 19 , wherein the processor is fluffier configured to:
 receive, from a mobile device of the user, a request to increase a security level of the parking space; and   modify one or more of a lighting system, cameras, microphones, global positioning system (GPS) location systems, electromagnetic sensors, card readers, proximity sensors, proximity card readers, and magnetic strip card readers associated with the parking facility to increase the security level for the parking space.   
     
     
         21 . The parking facility management system of  claim 19 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 detect a re-sell operation of the parking right for the parking space during the time period; and   transfer, based on execution of the re-sell operation, the parking right for the parking space from the user to another user.   
     
     
         22 . The parking facility management system of  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 implement an auction mechanism to broker a parking right for the parking space;   sell the parking right for the parking space to a winner of the auction; and   transfer the parking right for the parking space from the parking facility to the winner of the auction.   
     
     
         23 . The parking facility management system of  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 determine a subset of the information as being associated with one or more of a business located in a proximity to the parking facility and a store located in the proximity to the parking facility;   extract advertisement information from the subset of the information: and   transmit the advertisement information prior to or subsequent to a sale of a parking right for the parking space to a user during the time period.   
     
     
         24 . A computer-readable storage medium with instructions stored thereon to manage a parking, facility, the instructions comprising:
 receiving information from one or more sources;   building a model for the parking facility based on the information;   determining a demand during a time period for a parking space in the parking facility based on the model; and   pricing the parking space during the time period based on the demand.   
     
     
         25 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 24 , wherein the instructions further comprise:
 selling a parking right for the parking space during the time period;   transferring the parking right for the parking space from the parking facility to a user during the time period;   receiving, from a mobile device of the user, a request to increase a security level of the parking space; and   modifying one or more of a lighting system, cameras, microphones, global positioning system (GPS) location systems, electromagnetic sensors, card readers, proximity sensors, proximity card readers, and magnetic strip card readers associated with the parking facility to increase the security level for the parking space.