Smart parking by mobile crowdsensing

An increasing number of mobile applications aim to realize "smart cities" by utilizing contributions from citizens armed with mobile devices like smartphones. However, there are few generally recognized guidelines for developing and deploying crowdsourcing-based solutions in mobile environments. This paper considers the design of a crowdsensing-based smart parking system as a specific case study in an attempt to explore the basic design principles applicable to an array of similar applications. Through simulations, we show that the strategies behind crowdsensing activities can influence the utility of such applications significantly. Equally important, we show that a certain level of freeriding could be allowed to increase social benefits as long as a reasonable service differentiation mechanism exists. Our findings provide designers with a better understanding of mobile crowdsensing features and help guide successful designs. © 2016 SERSC.