A Hierarchical Algorithm for In-city Parking Allocation Based on Open Street Map and AnyLogic Software.

Routing and parking problems are considered a real challenge in the populated cities. An intelligent routing and parking algorithm is needed to facilitate locating the most appropriate parking spots to vehicles in a way that efficiently utilizes parking resources, reduces the traffic congestion, and minimizes trip driving time. This work proposes a hierarchical optimal algorithm to solve the routing and parking problem (HOPRA) using multi-criteria decision concept and historical traffic data. The problem is divided into three parts: finding the preferred parking lot, identifying the parking entrance (in case there are multiple), and then selecting the preferred route to the destination point. The optimal parking lot is defined based on an objective function that depends on the availability rates of the parking lots. After finding the parking lot and the parking entrance, a multi-objective function is used to specify the preferred route to the selected parking lot. This function depends on the travel distance, the traffic rate of a specific route, and the driver's preferences. We use the Open Street Maps from the AnyLogic software in the implementation stage. We compare HOPRA against the Shortest Route (SR) algorithm that was implemented also in AnyLogic with historical traffic data obtained from HERE technologies for a sample city (Al-Madinah City in Saudi Arabia). The results show that the HORPA algorithm outperforms the SR algorithm in balancing the traffic congestion on the roads and reducing the driving time of the trip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]