Indian boy’s algorithm can tackle parking issues

Houston, Oct. 31: An Indian student in the US has created a space- detecting algorithm that can help tackle the problem of finding a parking spot by using big data analytics and save a person's time and money.

Sai Nikhil Reddy Mettupally, who is studying at The University of Alabama in Huntsville ( UAH), has also won second prize at the 2018 Science and Technology Open House competition for his creation.

According to a university press release, Sai's creation relies on big data analytics and deep- learning techniques to lead drivers directly to an empty parking spot.

Big data analytics is a complex process of examining large and varied data sets to uncover information including hidden patterns, unknown correlations, market trends and customer preferences.

“The data show that, on a typical day, there is a high chance that students or faculty members will have difficulty getting a parking spot between 11 am and 1 pm, leading to the wastage of time and fuel, and adding to the pollution” he says.

What he needed was to find a way to identify empty spaces and then direct the driver to the location. But unlike other parking apps in the market, he wanted to develop one that didn't rely on the purchase, installation, and maintenance of expensive in- ground sensors.

Sai, who graduated from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani, hopes to develop a parking- support mobile appdubbed InstaParkthat can display the real- time grid layout of empty and occupied parking spots using the phone's GPS.