Simon announced that it is conducting a pilot program in conjunction with Acuity Brands that will employ outdoor LED lighting systems to monitor parking lot vehicle counts and occupancy data to facilitate the efficient management of traffic and parking. The pilot will be conducted at Lenox Square in Atlanta, GA and Florida Mall in Orlando, Florida.

Parking lot density will be monitored via existing Acuity Brands lighting fixtures installed throughout the two malls. Sensors will be added to the fixtures and will transmit occupancy data to an online dashboard, creating heat maps for visualizing parking density and highlighting locations where there is parking availability.

“This pilot will provide an opportunity to test an enhanced system for our parking areas, allowing us to easily and quickly identify congested areas and redirect customers to available parking,” said Tim Earnest, Executive Vice President, Simon Management Group. “This is one of the many ways we are looking at how to improve the experience of our customers by providing amenities that make shopping even more convenient and enjoyable.”

The pilot will continue through spring of 2016. The second phase of the pilot will focus on using the occupancy data to create a consumer-facing parking app with the potential of rolling it out to select centers by the end of 2016.

Simon has installed Acuity Brands’ LED lighting systems at more than 26 locations. These lighting systems provide enhanced light levels and quality while delivering energy savings.

“Simon Property Group is leading the industry in terms of leveraging Acuity Brands technology to deliver on multiple fronts,” said Lance Hollner, Vice President - Business Development, IoT Solutions, Acuity Brands Lighting. “We look forward to creating a parking and traffic management solution for initial use by Simon, and with broad appeal to other smart parking applications within retail, campus or city applications.”