[A recap of Cleverciti’s first Owned Event: “Reduce search traffic for urban parking - City of Cologne pilots smart parking solution in district Cologne-Nippes”](/content/en/resources/blog/a-recap-of-clevercitis-first-owned-event-reduce-search-traffic-for-urban-parking-city-of-cologne-pilots-smart-parking-solution-in-district-cologne-nippes/index.html) **Munich, Germany** - On October 1st Cleverciti hosted its very first online event about the smart parking pilot that is happening in [Cologne-Nippes](/content/en/city-of-cologne/index.html) as we speak. The pilot is a collaboration between the [city district](https://www.stadt-koeln.de/politik-und-verwaltung/bezirksvertretungen/bezirksvertretung-nippes) itself, [RheinEnergie AG](https://www.rheinenergie.com/) and [Cleverciti](/content/en/homepage/index.html). The event that took place from 3-4PM was moderated by Dr. [Günther Picker](/content/en/team/guenther-picker/index.html), Senior Vice President Strategic Partnerships & Business Development at Cleverciti. The panel of speakers consisted of: - [Thomas Hohenacker](/content/en/team/thomas-hohenacker/index.html), Founder & CEO of Cleverciti - Bernd Schößler, district mayor of [Cologne-Nippes](https://www.stadt-koeln.de/leben-in-koeln/verkehr/parken/smartes-parken-nippes) - Christian Remacly, Project manager of [Rheinenergie AG](https://www.rheinenergie.com/de/unternehmen/newsroom/nachrichten/news_32835.html) Dr. Günther Picker Thomas Hohenacker Bernd Schößler Christian Remacly After briefly introducing the speakers, Dr. Picker asked Mr. Hohenacker to open with explaining a little more about the [project](/content/en/resources/blog/cleverciti-systems-flips-the-switch-on-the-worlds-most-comprehensive-intelligent-parking-guidance-system-in-cologne/index.html) in Cologne-Nippes and what the mission of the project was (f.e. to reduce traffic and improve the [arrival experience](/content/en/why-cleverciti/transform-the-arrival-experience/index.html) of people visiting the commercial center of Cologne-Nippes). Mr. Hohenacker shares a short presentation in which he explains the technology that was used in the pilot: a combination of Cleverciti’s own 80 [overhead sensors](/content/en/innovations/cleverciti-sensor/index.html) with 27 [Circ360™](/content/en/innovations/cleverciti-circ/index.html) LED displays, that can be mounted onto existing lampposts. Each sensor can monitor 10-70 parking spots at a time. Therefore the district knows at all time how many parking spots are taken and how many are free and their exact location. The sensors are also able to identify parking spots without marking (also called ‘floating parking spots’). The technology of the sensors is a combination of artificial intelligence with edge computing. After sharing a bit of background information about the [Cleverciti Cockpit](/content/en/innovations/cleverciti-cockpit/index.html) and the data that can be found there, Mr. Hohenacker shows the actual Cockpit of Cologne-Nippes live. If you click on a specific parking spot, you can find specific information about that spot, f.e. the length of stay of the car that is currently parked there. The Cockpit also contains overall statistics, analyses and historical data. Dr. Picker continues the conversation by asking a few questions about the project himself as well as asking questions from the audience to the panel members. The audience shows a high level of engagement and asks many detailed questions which are each answered by one of the panel members. Examples of questions were: - What was the traffic situation like in Cologne-Nippes? - How did the execution of the project go? - Why did RheinEnergie choose Cleverciti? - Have you seen a difference in Cologne-Nippes? - What were the first reactions of the residents? - Is it also possible to get power from other systems, such as solar systems or batteries? _To hear the full answers of the panel members to these questions, watch the full recording that is added below. The questions and answers start at 14:45._ When the clock almost hits 4PM, Dr. Picker ends the conversation by thanking the attendees and the speakers for their attendance. He commends them on their detailed questions and states that if further questions pop up, they are welcome to contact Cleverciti at [info@cleverciti.com](mailto:info@cleverciti.com) or via Cleverciti’s [homepage](/content/en/homepage/index.html). Attendees of the event included, but not limited to: the cities of Hamburg, Wuppertal & Trier. Cleverciti would like to thank the speakers and all attendees for joining. And stay tuned for the next one! **Missed it? Watch the full recording here (in German):** [Online-Expertentalk: digitales Parken in Köln | Cleverciti - Smart-Parking-Lösungen - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftZnhOHXR9E) **The PowerPoint slides that were shared by Mr. Hohenacker can be viewed below (in German):** [Microsoft OneDrive](https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=92546) _Interested in learning more about smart city parking solutions? Click the button below to schedule a demo with a smart parking expert now._ [Schedule a demo](/content/en/get-started/index.html) ### _By Thomas Hohenacker, CEO and Founder of Cleverciti_ Before founding Cleverciti, I frequently encountered the same issue that every person at one time or another deals with: the lack of reliable [parking guidance](/content/en/solutions/parking-guidance/index.html). Whenever driving, I had a simple goal: to find an open spot in a reasonable amount of time that was not too far from my destination. Unfortunately, [as my wife can attest](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IM7C38lGo2U), my goal was often not achieved. I knew that there were several problems with this being the norm. First and foremost, the extensive search and distance someone must go through to find a parking space could take even longer than anticipated. Secondly, the search for parking is a significant problem for the environment. While multiple factors are responsible for climate change and global warming, transportation is known to be a significant contributor to the greenhouse gases emitted annually. Pollution from vehicles leads to poor air quality and that pollution directly contributes to climate change. But more efficient parking directly [reduces vehicle emissions](/content/en/why-cleverciti/reduce-unnecessary-emissions/index.html). Take this example, for instance: [in a mall with 1,000 parking spaces](/content/en/verticals/shopping/index.html), shoppers typically drive the equivalent of 75 times around the world each year, merely searching for parking guidance. Imagine the impact of reducing this by 30 percent: We can save 25 trips around the world. Armed with my passion for the environment, I knew there had to be a better way. Basing the calculation of finding an open parking spot on luck or chance is simply an outdated approach. [Modern-day parking guidance](/content/en/why-cleverciti/turn-by-turn-parking-guidance/index.html) is the solution. As a [tech-obsessed entrepreneur](/content/en/about-us/index.html), I have always enjoyed talking on challenges, particularly ones solved through technology and innovation. It’s that drive, in part, that brought me to examine the issues with parking guidance carefully and how an intelligent approach can improve global challenges. By bringing new parking guidance technology to the smart parking industry, I found the chance to harness my passion for technology to make positive impacts with regards to convenience, traffic and the environment. I firmly believe that parking guidance technology like Cleverciti’s can simplify our daily lives and transform our environmental efforts. As we move into the next decade, we will be advocating the overarching benefits of [intelligent parking](/content/en/why-cleverciti/what-is-smart-parking/index.html), including health benefits. Because less stress for drivers, and decreased traffic contributes to a better environment. And that’s a win-win for us all. _This blog is part of a series that will dive into key members of the Cleverciti team and how they leverage their personal experiences to best lead the company._ [Thomas Hohenacker](/content/en/team/thomas-hohenacker/index.html) is the Founder and CEO of Cleverciti Systems. Founded in 2012, Cleverciti develops a comprehensive suite of intelligent [solutions](/content/en/solutions/index.html) designed to ease the parking experience and enhance driver communication.