Having announced that it expects to release its new ParQSense Outdoor Sensor wireless parking systems portfolio at the ITS World Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark, on September 17-21, Norwegian tolling and ITS provider Q-Free is reporting the success of a pilot deployment of the technology in Canada.
Q-Free has been working on the development of the ParQSense product line over the last few years. Harnessing more than 30 years of experience in ultra-low power technology, the company says this development is unique to the market and is the latest advance in on/off-street parking monitoring systems.
The ParQSense Outdoor Sensors combine multiple sensing technologies that ensure maximum detection accuracy, and also have a topology-based communication requirement as opposed to the quantity-based requirement typically seen in the current marketplace.
The JJ MacKay Canada Limited (MacKay Meters) headquarters is one of the first pilot locations for the ParQSense Outdoor Sensors. A recognized world leader in the parking control business, the company provides its customers with innovative products using the latest technology.
Based in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, MacKay Meters had tested various outdoor sensor products with the intention of finding the right device to be integrated into their smart meter offering. Among MacKay’s requirements for successful testing was a high detection accuracy with a goal of +98%, along with a minimal detection time. The company also required durability and functionality during the colder winter period.
Over the last five months, Q-Free’s ParQSense Outdoor Sensors have proven excellent durability and functionality in the harsh and often variable Nova Scotia weather. Additionally, detection accuracy significantly exceeded the required 98%. One of the biggest concerns, minimal detection time with back-end occupancy status detection of less than 13 seconds, was also successfully addressed with status reporting of sometimes less than 4 seconds recorded.
Q-Free notes that MacKay Meter’s recommendation has already resulted in additional sales/pilot project opportunities, highlighting the increasing demand for a robust, highly accurate, and flexible outdoor monitoring system, which it hopes the new ParQSense product line will be able to best satisfy.
“The Q-Free ParQSense Outdoor Sensors had some of the most accurate readings that we have seen during a pilot project like this,” commented Jim Taylor, business development manager for MacKay Meters.
“The data was clean and accurate, while the hardware was supported in a very professional way from the day these sensors were installed. Needless to say, we were very pleased with the pilot test results.”
Joseph Pajak, global technical product manager for Q-Free’s service line parking, said, “After being a part of the development for the ParQSense product line, it is great to finally see real world results and have those results meet our high expectations.”
