James Madison University students are revolutionizing campus parking
September 23, 2024
From left to right, Jacob Susko and Abdullah Alghoniemy pose with advisers at the CCI Symposium 2024. Photo provided.
A team of student researchers at James Madison University (JMU) aims to make it easier to find parking on campus. Abdullah Alghoniemy, a master’s student studying computer science; Jacob Susko, a rising senior majoring in both information technology and computer science; and now alum David Kahle are leveraging real-time data and machine learning techniques to predict parking space availability in JMU’s parking garages.
"We're trying to solve a problem here...students go all over the whole campus, searching for other parking spots in different parking decks, wasting a lot of time," said Alghoniemy. This frustration led the team to develop a recommendation system that uses real-time data to guide users to the best available parking spots on campus.
While they're still in the data analysis and collection phase, Alghoniemy and Susko are eager to continue the project by diving into machine learning and exploring techniques that will improve the accuracy and effectiveness of their system. The two presented their project, “Data Analysis and Applied Machine Learning Techniques for Smart Parking,” at the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative 2024 Symposium in April.
"Our goal is to continue monitoring during football season, basketball season, all of that, and the end goal is to create an actual app that students can use," said Susko.
With guidance from advising professors Prajakta Belsare and Samy El-Tawab, who provide expertise in IT, data analysis, and machine learning, the student researchers are poised to make significant strides in optimizing campus parking.
In addition, the team is analyzing their parking data to provide valuable feedback to JMU regarding the distribution of parking spots across different categories.
"We're looking at the four different spots available: commuter, faculty, electric, and accessible,” said Susko, “so, we're going to let them know at the end if we need more of those spots in certain garages."
Through their analysis, for example, they've identified a high demand for electric and accessible spots and are advocating for increased allocation in certain parking garages to meet this demand.
As Alghoniemy and Susko continue their work, they remains committed to their vision of creating a seamless parking experience for students, faculty, and visitors alike. With their innovative approach and dedication to leveraging data-driven solutions, they're paving the way for a smarter, more efficient campus parking system at JMU and beyond.