{"id":111982,"date":"2019-02-01T13:58:36","date_gmt":"2019-02-01T21:58:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcnews&p=111982"},"modified":"2022-10-14T16:46:58","modified_gmt":"2022-10-14T23:46:58","slug":"gis-helps-find-parking-in-washington-dc","status":"publish","type":"arcnews","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/gis-helps-find-parking-in-washington-dc","title":{"rendered":"GIS Helps Find Parking in Washington, DC"},"author":1312,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"arcnews_issues":[103452],"class_list":["post-111982","arcnews","type-arcnews","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","arcnews_issues-summer-2016","arcnews_sections-your-work"],"acf":{"short_description":"The Washington, DC, Department of Transportation uses ArcGIS and 360-degree imagery to manage curbside spaces throughout the capital.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Parking is hard to find in Washington, DC. The population\u2014which topped 670,000 people in 2015\u2014swells by 79 percent each workday, according to a 2013 study by the US Census Bureau. Not only do residents, commuters, and business owners all compete for the same spaces, but bicyclists, taxicabs, and public transportation need access to curbside areas as well."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":111992,"image_position":"right","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"When residents and business owners lodge complaints about the shortage of available street parking, their grievances filter down to the Washington, DC, Department of Transportation (DDOT). Managing the intense demand for parking and curbside spaces in this urban core is complex and requires understanding the current parking supply, as well as the prevailing management plan. Knowing the locations of parking meters, restricted parking zones, parking spots, and signs is a critical part of improving the availability of Washington's limited curb space.\r\n\r\nWhereas DDOT staff used to have to walk the streets and alleyways in the district to count parking spaces, correct parking meter locations, and inventory street signs, this can now all be done from DDOT's offices. By integrating the ArcGIS platform with high-resolution, highly accurate ground-based imagery, DDOT staff can see what's happening on the ground from their computers.\r\n

Desktop Diagnoses<\/h3>\r\nFor years, DDOT received complaints from citizens, district council members, and business owners about insufficient parking in various Washington neighborhoods, including Georgetown, Dupont Circle, Kalorama, and Eastern Market. Until recently, DDOT had to react to these complaints without having sufficient data to thoroughly understand the situation.\r\n\r\nIn late 2014, Benito O. P\u00e9rez, DDOT's parking\/curbside management and operations planner, began a project to gain adequate information on parking availability. Using ArcGIS Online and imagery from Esri partner CycloMedia Technology, Inc., P\u00e9rez developed a workflow to audit curbside parking restrictions and inventory off-street parking.\r\n\r\nCycloMedia captured 100-megapixel, 360-degree panoramic views of roadways and alleys at five-meter increments. This georeferenced panoramic imagery\u2014called GeoCycloramas\u2014is high resolution, so staff can see details such as the text on signs and the identification numbers on poles and fixtures. The images from CycloMedia are free from distortions, and every pixel has a known location.\r\n\r\nTo perform analysis, users can overlay data layers\u2014such as subsurface information or the locations of hydrants, utility poles, or other fixtures\u2014onto GeoCycloramas in ArcGIS Online. Because every pixel has an accurate location, users can make visual references; verify the accuracy of existing datasets; collect new features; and, ultimately, better coordinate fieldwork activities."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":112002,"image_position":"left","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"\r\n\"Esri-integrated images from CycloMedia allow us to augment our desktop analysis with a snapshot of reality, which, in turn, streamlines data validation when we do go out in the field,\" said P\u00e9rez.\r\n\r\nDDOT staff can now quickly and easily document accurate asset locations, view field conditions, measure assets, and update infrastructure data.\r\n

Auditing Parking<\/h3>\r\nFor the audit, staff used ArcGIS Online to view GeoCycloramas in the problem areas to inventory all available parking facilities, whether public or private. Having access to alleyways enabled DDOT to document private parking garages and pads that are tucked away behind buildings, in addition to those visible from the road. On the web map in ArcGIS Online, staff recorded the parking spot locations for each block segment in the neighborhoods being reviewed.\r\n\r\nFrom this, DDOT came up with web maps that showed curb uses and parking availability throughout Washington's most crowded areas. What's more, these maps could be shared with stakeholders to give them a clear picture of the parking situation. For Georgetown, for example, DDOT combined the data in the web maps with other information\u2014such as vehicle registrations and the number of residential permits that have been issued\u2014to show the accurate count of parking spaces and the total number of permit holders in that zone. This allowed DDOT to compare local supply with local demand and determine the number of parking spots left for nonresidents.\r\n

Inventorying Street Signs<\/h3>\r\nDDOT also handles requests to replace missing or damaged signs, including traffic control signs, parking markers, and street signs. When a request to change or update signage comes in, DDOT has to confirm the conditions in the field before it can accept or deny the request. This also helps determine how to execute the change.\r\n\r\nTo obtain an accurate inventory of street signs, P\u00e9rez enlisted the help of James Graham, a GIS and applications manager in the DDOT office of information technology and innovation, to complete a street sign database using CycloMedia's Street Smart app for ArcGIS, which works in ArcGIS Online.\r\n\r\nUsers collect data in Street Smart by clicking on a location in a web map to open the nearest GeoCyclorama. They then edit the sign feature class directly on the GeoCyclorama, capturing an x-, y-, and z-coordinate for each feature and entering its attributes.\r\n\r\nViewing GeoCycloramas on their desktops allows staff to gauge a number of factors, including\r\n