Tech Company Shakes Up Parking Guidance Systems

A new technology company is aiming to revolutionize and disrupt parking guidance systems at commercial real estate properties. San Diego-based Ensight Technologies has created a moderately priced parking guidance system that is supported by intelligent cameras to ensure quality and accuracy. The concept diverges from the typical sensor system, and instead uses cameras places strategically throughout the garage to dramatically reduce the costs of parking guidance.

“In running a systems integration company, we saw a big gap between low-cost systems, which don’t achieve quality accuracy rates, and single-space systems, which are very expensive with a lot of moving parts,” Chris Scheppman, founder of Ensight Technologies and the president of Access Professional Systems, a parking technology providers, tells GlobeSt.com. “We installed all kinds of systems from low-cost to very high-end, and we realized that there was a void. Customers want parking guidance, but they needed an option that gave accuracy and value. We have experience in past software companies that use intelligent camera systems, we leveraged the intelligent camera to provide a more economic solution and high accuracy rates.”

The combination of value and quality is key to Ensight’s mission. The company philosophy is “automation for the many,” and it promises a significant savings compared to traditional sensor systems. “Traditional single-space systems, people put a per-space number on the cost of the system,” says Scheppman. “With us, we are not putting sensors or hardware devices on each individual space. We are putting them at strategic entrances and exits. The price will scale depending on the signage and way finding, but we are seeing that our systems are 50% to 75% more cost effective than a single-space system.”

While newly launched, Ensight has already installed its system in two Southern California properties: Manhattan Village in Manhattan Beach, and One Paseo, a mixed-use complex in San Diego. “We are looking at retail, corporate campuses, commercial high-rise and hospitals are all our core markets,” adds Scheppman.

The value-proposition is attractive, and Scheppman has already seen a positive response from real estate owners, particularly from small- and medium-sized operators that could not afford complex and expensive parking guidance. “Every one wants parking guidance, but when the rubber meets the road, a lot of times, the cost isn’t justified for the majority of garages,” he says. “You don’t have to be a giant user to get a quality technology system that will provide valuable metrics on the asset and utilization and provide parkers with a quality experience to get them in and out as efficiently as possible.”