Have you ever driven around a parking lot trying to find a place to park? Imagine then the number of other drivers doing the same. Such unnecessary cruising results in large amounts of CO2 emissions. This problem is what Vijay Paidi wanted to address for his PhD in Microdata Analysis at Dalarna University.
– The parking support model I propose in my thesis helps provide real-time and short-term forecasts of parking occupancy in open parking lots. It can help drivers find an empty parking space and therefore reduce the amount of CO2 emissions, says Vijay Paidi.
Vijay Paidi. Photo: Private
It is expected to have more vehicle cruising in open parking lots as it provides free parking spaces. Therefore, it is important to look at excess cruising and pollution levels that are observed in open parking lots. Prolonged exposure to CO2 emissions can also lead to respiratory problems in humans.
In his dissertation, Vijay Paidi focuses on how to improve the parking process in parking lots. The parking lot he observed was next to the indoor shopping centre Kupolen in the town of Borlänge, where he used a thermal camera to collect data. The camera detects objects using heat signature and can be used in various environments and light.
– I found that 30 percent of non-optimal drivers cruise distances equivalent to 70 percent of those of optimal drivers. The mean CO2 emissions of additional cruising is 2.7 times more than optimal cruising. Therefore, it is important to reduce additional cruising to reduce CO2 emissions and environmental pollution, says Vijay Paidi.
Vijay Paidi was successful in the public defense of his dissertation Parking Support Model for Open Parking Lots at Dalarna University on June 3.
– My journey as a PhD student at Dalarna University has been fantastic. It has been a great learning experience and was good for me both personally and professionally. Now I want to continue to do research that benefits society and to improve myself as a teacher, says Vijay Paidi.