Oregon State University Installs Parking Sensors to Show ADA Parking Space Availability via Mobile Devices

CORVALLIS, Ore., Jan. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Visitors, students and staff at Oregon State University (OSU) looking for ADA accessible parking spaces on campus can now use their mobile devices to check for space availability.

During Winter Break, OSU staff from Transit and Parking Services and a team from Streetline, Inc. installed Streetline's sensor-based system in ADA accessible parking spaces around campus. Through a free smartphone app called Parker™, the new system gives motorists real-time information and availability for accessible parking spaces in select areas throughout the OSU campus as well as parking lot location and policies for all lots on campus.

The Streetline system aligns with the university's goal to support students, faculty, and staff with disabilities by highlighting where available accessible parking spaces are in real-time, making it easier and safer to find those spots. It also enables the university to better monitor designated accessible spots to ensure that there is accessible parking available when needed.

OSU continues to adopt innovations that make campus more accessible to students and staff with disabilities. It was recently ranked fifth for web accessibility among 135 institutions, and the new Streetline technology is another addition to the ongoing work by OSU staff and administration to increase accessibility in all its forms.

Jennifer Gossett, Disability Access Services coordinator at OSU, said the new technology will help better serve people with disabilities that study, live, work, and play at OSU.

"At Oregon State we value diversity, and this project is an example which demonstrates our commitment to providing access for individuals of all ages and abilities," Gossett said. "The purpose of this project is to facilitate access for people with disabilities, but this technology will also benefit all commuters to campus that will now have access to an interactive map and parking information through their smartphone devices and the web." 

Streetline's technology includes its patented smart parking platform, which detects the presence of a car through a network of ultra-low power wireless sensors located in each parking space. Information from the sensors is then delivered to a suite of web and mobile applications, including Parker by Streetline, a free smartphone app.

Streetline sensors are being deployed at 75 accessible spaces in select lots in the heart of campus that serve over 30 different buildings including: the Memorial Union, Kelley Engineering Center, Weniger Hall, Kidder Hall, and Gilkey Hall, among others. In addition, OSU will publish current parking policy and rates on a weekly basis during the football season, using a publishing platform from Streetline called ParkEdge™.

"We are excited to help Oregon State University address their parking needs with our smart parking solutions," said Zia Yusuf, CEO of Streetline. "The ability to support those with disabilities through ADA space guidance and providing availability information is one of the prime examples of the real world benefits smart parking offers a community. We look forward to our continued partnership on this ground breaking initiative as we expand the deployment of our solutions at universities and colleges across the U.S."

For more information and to download the free Parker app, visit www.theparkerapp.com.

About Oregon State University
OSU is one of only two U.S. universities designated a land-, sea-, space- and sun-grant institution. OSU is also Oregon's only university to hold both the Carnegie Foundation's top designation for research institutions and its prestigious Community Engagement classification. Its approximately 26,000-plus students come from all 50 states and more than 90 nations. OSU programs touch every county within Oregon, and its faculty teach and conduct research on issues of national and global importance.

About Streetline, Inc.

Streetline's mission is to make smart cities a reality through the use of sensor-enabled mobile and web applications. As the leading global provider of Smart Parking solutions for cities, airports, universities, private garages, and consumers, Streetline's pioneering technology connects citizens with critical information to improve the way they live and work, while making cities more efficient and lessening their environmental impact.

Streetline is a privately held company headquartered in Foster City, CA with Smart Parking deployments in Germany and across the United States including California, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington, DC. The company was named one of Fast Company's 10 Most Innovative Companies in Transportation, as well as IBM Global Entrepreneur of the Year. In October 2012, Streetline was named a finalist for the prestigious 2012 World Technology Awards. For more information on the company visit http://www.streetline.com.

SOURCE Streetline, Inc.