Published on March 10, 2025
Naoya Inoue
Parking Science Co., Ltd. CEO
Parking database that realizes a win-win situation
(Affiliation and position are as of the time of distribution)
Parking Science launched in September 2022.
The company is working on creating a database of parking lots,
including the parking lot search app "P-Collection" and the analysis system "Park-Labo."
The parking lot industry has been slow to adopt digital transformation.
On the other hand, as autonomous driving advances, parking lot data is expected to be used in a variety of ways.
What is the "win-win" parking lot data business, and what can we expect from location data? We spoke to them about it.
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Breaking the industry's tradition of "not actively disclosing information" by working on "parking lot database"
Founded in 2022, Parking Science Co., Ltd. is developing a business with the aim of "contributing to the growth of the parking industry."
The core of its business is "database of parking lots."
The company's parent company has been operating the parking lot business for over 25 years,
but it has felt the challenge of "not actively disclosing parking lot information" that is unique to the industry.
Although existing parking lot databases appear to exist, they do not actually contain all the information users need.
There are databases that record only basic information such as addresses, names, and "daily rules,"
but they lack detailed information such as "fees" and "size of cars that can be parked," which are necessary when users use parking lots.
In particular, when information such as prices can be easily searched online,
when building a new parking lot in the neighborhood, people tend to refrain from doing so because it is likely to lead to price competition, such as setting lower prices.
On the other hand, as autonomous driving technology evolves in the future, the era will come when parking lots will be selected not by humans but by "the car itself."
To prepare for such a future, Parking Science is working on creating a database of parking lots.
The parking industry is also a sector that has been slow to adopt digital transformation due to its stable business model.
While overseas IT companies are expanding into other industries and portal services are developing,
the parking industry does not yet have a large-scale data platform.
"If things continue as they are, there is a risk that important data and profits from the industry will leak overseas,"
Parking Science launched its own business with the aim of supporting the return of information and growth within the industry,
and is building its own data infrastructure.
In addition, as portal services have become mainstream in other industries,
there is a growing momentum for "information to be released."
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Turning the parking lot business into a "win-win-win" business model: Hopes for integration with location information
Parking Science currently operates three main businesses.
The first is the parking search app "P-Collection."
It is an application that allows users to easily search for and use parking lots, and provides a highly convenient search function based on a comprehensive database.
The second is "Park-Labo," a marketing system dedicated to the parking lot business.
It is an analysis service for parking lot operators that visualizes P-Collection user data.
The other is the "API integration and data provision business," which is currently in preparation.
We are considering providing parking lot data to existing navigation systems, digital map platforms, and other platforms.
Through direct data integration, we are able to achieve real-time updates every five minutes (in some cases, up to every three minutes),
and in the future, we aim to create a highly accurate database that can be used by self-driving cars.
Parking Science currently manages information on approximately 130,000 parking lots.
Data updates and maintenance are essential for users to instantly know where parking lots are available.
Parking Science combines crawling technology with direct data integration,
and more than half of parking lots are updated in real time through API integration with operators, and other information is updated on a weekly or monthly basis.
On the other hand, for parking lots where data integration is not yet advanced, they ask them to send them Excel data,
and upload and enter the data, thereby working to improve accuracy.
Data management makes it possible to link with trends such as cashless payments and the abolition of "flapless" locking plates.
In particular, with flapless, it is possible to eliminate payment machines, making it "maintenance-free".
It is expected that this will significantly reduce the workload on-site and contribute to reducing operating costs.
The parking lot business is described as a "triple win-win situation."
At Parking Science, we do not just provide parking spaces, but elevate it to a business model that benefits all stakeholders, including property owners, real estate companies, businesses, users, local residents, and tourist bureaus. We believe that sharing and utilizing information in all areas will lead to growth and improved competitiveness in the industry as a whole. In addition, we plan to provide more sophisticated services by introducing the latest technology that utilizes location information and expanding API integration in the future. We will disrupt traditional industry practices, develop multifaceted services based on a comprehensive database, and drive the evolution of the parking business in the mobility society of the future through digital technology and data integration. These challenges and innovations will be the driving force behind creating new standards in future urban transportation and mobility societies.
Related keywords:
#parkinglot #autonomousdriving #app #digitaltransformation #database