Car drivers in urban areas, those long-suffering souls (like us) who live and die by available parking spaces, may get a sweet new service from XM Satellite Radio. We've invented this in our heads a million times: sensors embedded in parking spaces transmit data to a car's navigation system, indicating the percentage of a lot that's full, the closest lot with available parking and other information. The service will likely be offered in designated lots to start. The killer app, of course, would require municipalities to implant sensors in all of their public spaces, thereby obsoleting the "concentric circles outward from the center" technique New Yorkers use to find a coveted space on the street. How awesome would that be?
XM Looking Into Electronic Parking Spot Locator [Edmunds]
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Banned in DC: Private-Car Spaces Nixed in Favor of Car-Sharing Slots [internal]