Ethiopia’s first smart parking lot – which is designed to improve traffic flow and management efficiency – has been built and installed using Dahua Technology’s smart parking solutions.

Meskel Square is a historic site in Addis Ababa used for public gatherings and festivals, which was redeveloped in 2021 to include a 1,400-space underground car park as well as a range of retail facilities.

Challenges

The car park operator’s objectives were to reduce the need for cumbersome manual entry, payment and exit procedures which held up traffic causing long queues and needed many security personnel to administer. In addition, the lack of an integrated system resulted in poor efficiency, ineffective and inflexible charging systems and no effective supervision and recording of charges, leading to unfortunate loss and even complaints from visitors.

Solution

Dahua’s smart parking solutions installed by Anhui Antai Technology Co., Ltd. include entrance and exit cameras, intercoms and barriers, intelligent parking guidance, video surveillance and a unified software platform.

Significant features of the installation include:

· Powerful AI algorithm: Fast automatic Under Vehicle Scanning System (UVSS), ANPR, seamless entry and exit, and parking space guidance provide a logical and seamless flow of Entry–Park–Pay–Find Car–Exit to ensure safety and improve efficiency

· Complete parking solution: The comprehensive solution includes entrances and exits, UVSS, parking toll systems, parking guidance and a CCTV control and monitoring center, which helps operators improve the security, safety and management of the facility. The system has helped to find one lost government vehicle and detect two thefts

· Advanced technology: Accurate and reliable parking toll system ensures reliable parking income, helps the operator file tax returns quickly and effectively, and facilitates better and more efficient commercial operation.

Dahua’s innovative parking solutions integrate ANPR with video analytics, enabling automatic entry and exit without human intervention. Vehicle wayfinding and location systems are embedded to enhance users’ experience.

The smart parking lot provides a stress-free and seamless experience for visitors, eliminating unnecessary delays and the need to search for vacant spaces. The system also enables drivers to quickly and easily locate their vehicles on their return and to enter, pay and exit the parking lot without paper tickets.

Innovative parking products installed include 280 of Dahua’s parking space detection cameras, which detect the status of three parking spaces and when unauthorized vehicles are parked in restricted spaces, and 43 indoor LED screens which display red/green arrows in three directions and up to nine digits.

Results

The project has significantly improved the monitoring quality in the parking lot. During the project delivery, one of the new project cars of the admin got stolen. The new system’s ANPR and smart searching functions successfully helped the admin located the video footage when the car exited the parking lot, and retrieved the vehicle within the day.

Mr. Dai, Manager at Anhui Antai Technology Ethiopia Branch, said that Dahua solutions were chosen because they offered “great quality and complete after-sales service including delivery guidance and operator training. They comprise a complete smart parking solution which meets the full requirement of the client.”