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The final report entitled Parking
at Harvard: Addressing New DemandsAssociated with Campus Development
is available here as a pdf file.
Lot simulation Coming soon! Will require Flash 5 player. How does the distribution of cars entering and exiting a parking lot over the course of a day determine the queue length at the entrance and exit of parking lot? How does adding a gate affect waiting time to enter the lot? How important to queue length is the few seconds saved by using a radio-frequency ID that doesn't require you to swipe it? What is the total number of cars that the lot can accommodate over the course of the day if you know the inflow and outflow distributions? Mathematical simulation of a parking lot using theory of dynamic systems control can help predict the answers to these and other such questions.
Cost calculator Requires Flash 5 player. It is ultimately up to the individual commuters to choose to take advantage of available incentives. Commuters need to be aware of incentive programs in place, and they need to be convinced that changing their commuting habits could allow them to receive significant benefits. This web application will ask questions relating to a commuter's situation and preferences, and then add up the costs based on the responses to the questions and present the user with a basic analysis. View demonstration
Automated carpool-matching Coming soon! Will require Flash 5 player. According to the 1999 and 2000 Ridesharing reports, carpooling and vanpooling are means of commuting that are not widely used on campus, though this alternative has the potential to make a significant difference in reducing the number of single-occupancy trips to campus. Carpooling has its own set of additional considerations, such as insurance and the need to depend on other people who may not always be reliable. This web application will add much-needed convenience and flexibility to carpooling.
Automated parking demo These video clips were taken at the offices of APS Systems in Germany demonstrating their automated parking technology. RealPlayer is required to view these clips, and is available for free download from Real Networks. Please choose the version that is appropriate for your connection speed. The videos are non-streaming, so you can actually choose whichever one you want, as long as you're willing to wait for the download.
- Pallet system In a garage using a pallet system, the car is put into park on a mobile pallet that takes the car from the transfer room to the parking space, staying with the car until it is retrieved by the driver. The pallet includes a drip pan to protect the garage and other cars.
- Palletless system In a garage using a palletless system, a shuttle picks up the car, which is put into park, and drops it off at the parking space. Palletless systems tend to have shorter service times than pallet systems.
Parking (3:01) low speed medium speed high speed
Retrieval (1:24) low speed medium speed high speed
Closeup of a pallet (0:27) low speed medium speed high speed
Access panel outside garage (0:17) low speed medium speed high speed
Parking (2:08) low speed medium speed high speed
Retrieval (1:42) low speed medium speed high speed
Closeup of a shuttle in operation (2:18) low speed medium speed high speed
Exterior of a garage showing its small footprint (0:37) low speed medium speed high speed
Sensors inside the transfer room, which prevent the system from starting if there is someone still inside low speed medium speed high speed
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Last updated 19 May 2001 by Silas Wang
