Airport Business - June-July 2020 - 27

FEATURE
Michael Huggins, senior manager,
landside operations for the Port of
Portland said they installed a single-space
parking guidance system (APGS) in the
airport's short-term garage more than
10 years ago and they have been well
received by customers at PDX.
"As with most aging technology, the
system components were becoming
scarce and advancements in system
capabilities made replacement an
attractive option," he said. "It's
imperative that PDX continue to offer
a reliable parking guidance system as part
of our customer service initiative and to
continue to exceed the expectations of
the airport users."
The M4's housing is designed to
be attractive and functional with a
resilient exterior frame, preventing
ingress of water and dirt.
PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

The M4 smart-sensor system
monitors up to four spaces at a time,
reducing the number of sensors needed,
simplifying maintenance and decreasing
clutter. The M4 system provides nextgeneration guidance with sensors that
can change to virtually any color to
indicate specific parking opportunities,
as well as advanced wayfinding and
system control features. This softwarebased PGS is built with an expanded
capacity to support future upgrades.
"PDX staff wanted a parking
guidance system that could offer more
than just identify whether a parking
space was available to maximize the
management of the parking spaces and
to offer customers the highest level of
customer service and conveniences,"
Huggins said. "The new system offers
several beneficial improvements to help
staff better manage lost tickets and lost
cars with the real time license plate
recognition and inventory system."
Park Assist installed approximately
900 M4 sensors to manage the 3,300
spaces in the short-term garage. The
PGS is independent of PDX's network
and IT infrastructure, minimizing initial
and ongoing coordination required for
system maintenance.
"Installing a guidance system in a
garage that is, at times, near capacity
creates a number of challenges in

coordinating closing drive lanes and
installing the cable trays and sensors
without having to close sections of the
garage to do so," Koester said. "The
construction team worked closely with
the airport's landside operations team
to ensure the new system could be
installed with minimal impact to the
day-to-day operations and maintain a safe
environment for both customers parking
in the garage and the construction team
installing the sensors."
The M4's housing is designed to be
attractive and functional with a resilient
exterior frame, preventing ingress of
water and dirt. As PDX faced water
intrusion in their prior PGS, Park Assist
designed a customized shower cap
solution to add an extra protective layer.
By managing parking inventory
and availability with real-time data, the
M4 system guides customers through
the garage, clearly showing where to
park. The combination of Park Assist's
advanced wayfinding signage and bright
signaling smart-sensors reduces the
customer's time-to-park anywhere from
36 percent to 63 percent
T he s y stem prov ide s PDX
management with superior data
to improve operations by helping
management understand parking activity
and behaviors. Park Assist's system
provides a variety of reports that contain
vital information for garage efficiency.
The PGS also provides an overnight
inventory count system ensuring garage
occupancy is monitored and maximized.
PDX's installation is also equipped
to integrate with several API add-ons
that improve security and customer
satisfaction. These add-ons include:
Park Surveillance, premium and reserved
parking, and Find Your Car.
"PDX has made parking guidance
an important feature in providing the
best possible customer experience when
parking in the Short Term or Long Term
garages," Koester said. "Features such
as Park Assist's Find My Car module
and vehicle inventory capabilities that
are available with this camera-based
parking guidance system has given PDX
the ability to provide the highest level of
customer service."
The Find Your Car feature, which
allows parkers to easily locate their
vehicle upon returning to the garage.

This feature uses Park Assist's LPR
technology to pinpoint the exact location
of each parker's vehicle and directs them
to the car upon returning to the garage.
PDX's plan includes adding the other
features in the future.
Huggins said it's important that PDX
provides the highest level of customer

The PGS is independent of PDX's
network and IT infrastructure,
minimizing initial and ongoing
coordination required for system
maintenance.
PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

service to the traveling public. One
measure in achieving this goal is to
ensure customers can find a parking
space quickly and a single-space parking
guidance system has been one of the
cornerstones in achieving this goal.
"The new Park Assist camera-based
APGS allows PDX staff to maximize
the use of available parking spaces
and offer customers new convenience
features such as a 'find-my-car' app to
help customers find their vehicle in the
3,300 space parking garage," he said. "A
parking guidance system also helps PDX
to minimize it's carbon footprint on the
environment by helping customers find
an available parking space without having
to drive up and down each drive aisle, or
idling while waiting for another vehicle
to pull out of a parking space." 

LEARN MORE ABOUT
THE PROJECT

Port of Portland Senior Manager
of Landside Operations Michael
Huggins shares the insights of the
airport's new parking guidance
system that was named one of the
2020 Airport Business Projects of
the Year on a recent episode of the
AviationPros Podcast.
www.AviationPros.com/21138226

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Airport Business - June-July 2020

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