Parking Management

The Parking Management feature provides comprehensive parking lot management with license plate recognition, zone-based tracking, access control automation, and detailed statistics.

Overview

Parking Management offers:

Multi-zone support with individual capacity limits and utilization tracking
Entry/Exit camera integration with automatic plate matching
Snapshot capture on entry and exit for evidence
Tag-based access rules with configurable max parking times
IO Actions for barrier control and signage
Real-time monitoring via WebSocket with live zone occupancy
History & Statistics with filtering, export, and analytics

Tabs

The Parking Management interface is organized into tabs:

Tab	Description
Live	Real-time zone occupancy, camera status, plate event log, and manual IO actions
History	Searchable parking entry history with table/grid views and CSV export
Zones	Configure parking zones with entry/exit cameras
Access & Events	IO actions, event rules, and email notifications for overparking
Plate List	Embedded License Plate List for managing plates and tags
General	Global settings like stale timeout, history retention, and snapshot cleanup

Integrated Plate Management

The Plate List tab provides direct access to the License Plate List feature without leaving Parking Management. Changes to plates and tags are automatically available in Zones and Access Control when switching tabs.

Zones Configuration

Creating Zones

Each parking zone represents a physical area (parking level, section, or lot):

Setting	Description
Zone Name	Descriptive name (e.g., "Level 1", "Visitor Parking")
Capacity	Maximum number of vehicles (0 = unlimited)
Default Stale Timeout	Minutes before parked entries are marked as stale (overrides global setting)
Free Flow	When enabled, entries are recorded but access is never denied regardless of capacity, tags, or authorization
Free Flow Max Parking Time	Free Flow only. Max minutes a vehicle may stay before overtime fires (0 = no limit)
Free Flow Plate Match	Free Flow only. Allowed character drift between entry and exit reads: Strict (exact), 1 char, or 2 chars. Tolerates OCR jitter. Ties (two parked plates equidistant) fall back to "no match" so the wrong vehicle is never released
Re-entry Dedup Seconds	For cameras configured as "Entry & Exit": time window during which a repeated read of the same plate is treated as a duplicate instead of an exit (0 = default 10s)
Rejected Dedup Seconds	Time window during which duplicate Unauthorized / Exit-without-Entry events for the same plate are suppressed (0 = default 30s). Prevents the siren and IO rules from re-firing while a denied car lingers at the gate
Lane Traversal Time	Single-lane setups with a dedicated entry camera before the barrier and a dedicated exit camera after it (both facing away from the barrier). Seconds a car needs to physically cross the barrier. Within this window after an entry, an exit detection of the same plate is treated as the partner camera's rear view of the same car and ignored; the reverse also holds within the window after an exit. Set to 0 to disable. Typical: 5 to 15 seconds. Only shown when the zone has both a dedicated entry and a dedicated exit camera
Snapshot on Entry / Exit	Capture and store a snapshot image when a vehicle enters or exits this zone. Images are saved to SD card

Free Flow Mode

Free Flow is useful for open parking lots where you want to track vehicles and collect statistics without enforcing access rules. All plates are allowed through; overtime and unauthorized events are still logged for reporting but do not affect entry decisions.

Re-entry Deduplication

For single-point access cameras ("Entry & Exit" role), the system infers direction from database state - a plate not currently parked is treated as an entry, one already parked is treated as an exit. To prevent rapid re-reads from being misinterpreted as exits, a dedup window filters duplicate reads of the same plate. Duplicates within the window are emitted as duplicate/ignored events.

Zone Full Behavior

When a zone reaches capacity, new entries are still recorded for tracking purposes. A Zone Full Rising event is fired on the entry that crosses the threshold, and a Zone Full Falling event is fired when the zone drops back below capacity. Use IO Rules to trigger barriers or signage on either edge.

Zone Count Changed (ACAP only)

In addition to the Access Control event types, each zone exposes a raw ACAP platform event PM_<zone>_CountChanged (with count and capacity payload) that fires on every occupancy change. This event is intentionally not available in the Event Type dropdown - it is only reachable from other Axis events or flow.

Entry/Exit Cameras

Each zone can have multiple cameras configured as entry, exit, or both:

Setting	Description
Camera	Select from registered Flow Devices
Role	Entry, Exit, or Entry & Exit
Capture Snapshot	Store entry/exit images on SD card

Managing Devices

Use the Devices button in the toolbar (visible on Zones and Access Control tabs) to add or configure cameras and IO devices.

Camera Roles

Role	Behavior
Entry	Creates new parking entry when plate detected
Exit	Matches plate to existing entry and records exit time
Entry & Exit	Handles both directions (single-point access)

Tag-Based Rules

Tags from the License Plate List determine parking rules:

Setting	Description
Tag	Tag name from License Plate List (e.g., "staff", "visitor", "vip")
Max Parking Minutes	Maximum allowed parking time (0 = unlimited)
Zones	Which zones this rule applies to (empty = all zones)

When a plate is detected, the system:

Looks up the plate in the License Plate List
Validates the plate's date range (From/To dates if set)
Finds matching tags
Applies the most restrictive max parking time
Marks entry as overtime when exceeded

Date Validation

Plates with a From Date that hasn't been reached yet, or a To Date that has passed, will be denied access even if they have valid tags.

Blocked vs. Ignore

Two per-plate flags from the License Plate List shape what happens on a read:

Blocked: the plate is denied like an unknown plate. An unauthorized_entry row is created, the email notification fires, IO Rules wired to the Unauthorized event run, and the live event log shows the plate as blocked. Use this for explicitly banned vehicles where you still want a paper trail.
Ignore: the plate is silently dropped. No entry, no exit, no unauthorized event, no email, no IO Rules. The live event log still shows the read tagged IGNORE so operators see it was observed. Use this for known false positives (e.g. a nearby billboard read as a plate).

The PM_<zone>_Detection platform event distinguishes the three outcomes via its state field (0 = not allowed, 1 = allowed, 2 = blocked) while keeping the boolean allowed field for backwards compatibility.

Access & Events

The Access & Events tab contains IO actions, event rules, and email notifications for overparking alerts.

IO Actions

Manual actions that can be triggered from the Live view or camera preview:

Setting	Description
Name	Display name for the button
Device	Target device with IO ports
Port	IO port number to control
Action	Pulse, Activate, or Deactivate
Duration	Pulse duration in milliseconds (for Pulse action)
Show on cameras	Select which cameras should display this action button in their live preview

Camera Preview Actions

When you configure "Show on cameras" for an IO action, the action button will appear below the video stream when viewing that camera's live preview. This is useful for triggering barriers or gates while watching the camera feed.

IO Rules

Automated actions triggered by parking events:

Setting	Description
Name	Rule identifier
Event	Entry, Exit, Unauthorized, Overtime, Zone Full Rising, or Zone Full Falling
Zones	Which zones trigger this rule (empty = all)
Tags	Which tags trigger this rule (empty = all)
Device	Target device
Port	IO port number
Action	Pulse, Activate, or Deactivate

Event Types

Event	Description
Entry	Vehicle entered a zone
Exit	Vehicle exited a zone
Unauthorized	Unknown plate or plate without allowed tags
Overtime	Vehicle exceeded max parking time
Zone Full Rising	Zone just reached its capacity limit (fires once on the threshold crossing)
Zone Full Falling	Zone dropped below its capacity limit (fires once when an exit brings count under max)

ACAP-only event: Count Changed

A PM_<zone>_CountChanged event (payload: count, capacity) is fired on every occupancy change. It is not selectable as an IO Rule event type - it is exposed only on the Axis device events external services/integrations or flow (Onvif Event only).

Example Rules

Use Case	Event	Condition	Action
Open barrier for staff	Entry	Tag = "staff"	Pulse port 1
Open barrier for visitors	Entry	Tag = "visitor"	Pulse port 1
Open exit barrier	Exit	Any	Pulse port 2

Email Notifications

Receive email alerts when vehicles exceed their maximum parking time.

Setting	Description
Enable	Toggle email notifications on/off
SMTP Host	Email server address (e.g., smtp.gmail.com)
Port	SMTP port (587 for TLS, 465 for SSL)
Username	SMTP authentication username
Password	SMTP authentication password
Use TLS/SSL	Enable encrypted connection
From Address	Sender email address
Recipients	Comma-separated list of recipient emails
Zones	Select specific zones or leave empty for all zones
Attach Entry Snapshot	Include the entry photo in the email

Gmail Setup

For Gmail, use smtp.gmail.com with port 587 and TLS enabled. You'll need to create an App Password in your Google Account settings (Security → 2-Step Verification → App passwords).

When Emails Are Sent

An email is sent when a vehicle's parking duration exceeds its maximum allowed time. The system checks every minute. Each vehicle triggers only one email per parking session.

Test Email

Use the Test button to verify your SMTP configuration. The test sends a sample email to all configured recipients.

Live View

The Live tab displays real-time parking information with statistics and monitoring tools.

Top Bar Statistics

The top bar shows key metrics at a glance:

Stat	Description
Parked	Total vehicles currently parked. Click to open a per-zone breakdown dialog showing each zone's current count (and capacity, if configured).
Avg Duration	Average parking time of current vehicles
Zone Capacity	Occupancy per zone (e.g., "Level 1: 5/20")
Overtime	Count of vehicles exceeding max parking time
Utilization	Overall parking lot utilization percentage

Parked Vehicles

Shows all currently parked vehicles with:

Header row with column labels
Time parked (duration)
Vehicle name (from License Plate List)
Zone and camera
License plate number
Tag assignment
Parking progress bar (visual indicator of parking duration)

Zone Cards

Each zone shows:

Current occupancy vs. capacity
Utilization percentage bar
List of currently parked vehicles with duration

Camera Status

Shows health of all configured cameras:

Green dot: Camera online and connected
Red dot: Camera offline or connection lost
Last detected plate
Last activity timestamp

Multi-Zone Cameras

A single camera can serve multiple zones (e.g., nested parking areas). The camera status shows all zones it serves, and events are processed for each zone independently.

Real-time Status

Camera status updates automatically when a camera disconnects or reconnects - no page refresh needed.

Plate Event Log

Real-time feed of plate detections with detailed event information:

Column	Description
ID	Unique event identifier
Time	Detection timestamp
State	Event state (Entry, Exit, Entry Denied, etc.)
Plate	License plate number
Name	Name from License Plate List
Zone	Parking zone
Camera	Camera that detected the plate
Type	Detection type
Color	Vehicle color (if detected)
Size	Image size in pixels
Act	Action status
Img	Snapshot thumbnail (click to view)

Event States

State	Color	Description
Entry	Green	Vehicle entered the zone
Exit	Blue	Vehicle exited the zone
Entry Denied	Red	Entry denied (unauthorized or zone full)
Tag Not Allowed	Orange	Plate has tag but not allowed in this zone
Exit (No Entry)	Cyan	Exit detected without matching entry
Add to Plate List	Purple	Plate added to License Plate List

Adding a Parked Vehicle Manually

Use the + button in the Parked Vehicles header to register a vehicle that is already parked but was never seen by a camera (for example, vehicles that were on the lot before the system was deployed, or before a camera came online).

Field	Description
Zone	Which parking zone the vehicle is in
Plate	License plate (uppercased automatically)
Tag	Optional. Tag picked from the License Plate tag list - used for max-parking-time and rule matching, just like an LPV-detected entry
Max parking time (minutes)	Optional override. `0` means no limit. The vehicle is flagged overtime once this is exceeded
Entry time	When parking actually started. Must fall inside the zone's stale-timeout window

Behaviour:

The plate name is auto-filled from the License Plate List when the plate exists there - there is no separate name field.
The entry is created with Status = parked and EntryCameraName = "Manual", so a later exit detection by a real camera will match and close it normally.
No IO actions, gates or platform events are fired when adding a manual entry - registering a car that is already parked must not trigger barriers or notifications.
Capacity is not checked - manual entries are intentionally allowed past max_capacity, since the goal is to record reality.
Entry times older than the zone's stale timeout (or the global default if the zone uses 0) are rejected, otherwise the stale sweeper would silently mark the new row stale within minutes.
Adding a plate that is already parked in the chosen zone is rejected.

Requires the parking_manage_entries permission. Endpoint: POST /parking_management/entries/manual.

Manual Actions

Execute IO Actions directly from the interface (requires parking_execute_action permission).

History View

Table View

Sortable data table with columns:

Column	Description
Plate	License plate number
Name	Name from License Plate List (if matched)
Zone	Parking zone
Entry Time	When vehicle entered
Exit Time	When vehicle exited
Duration	Total parking time
Status	Parked, Exited, or Stale
Tag	Matched tag from plate list
Overtime	Warning if exceeded max time
Snapshots	Click to view entry/exit images

Grid View

Visual card layout showing entry snapshots with plate overlay.

Filters

Filter	Description
Plate	Search by plate number
Status	Parked, Exited, or Stale
Zone	Filter by zone
Tag	Filter by matched tag
From/To Date	Date range filter

Export

Download filtered entries as CSV file.

Entry Actions

Right-click or use action menu on entries:

Action	Description
Edit	Correct plate number
Extend	Add extra parking time
Add to List	Add plate to License Plate List with tags
Delete	Remove entry

General Settings

Setting	Description
Default Stale Timeout	Minutes before entries without exit are marked stale (default: 1440 = 24h)
History Retention Days	How long to keep history entries (default: 7 days)
Snapshot Max GB	Maximum SD card storage for snapshots
Snapshot Cleanup Days	Delete snapshots older than this

Cleanup Actions

Delete All Parked: Remove all currently parked entries
Delete All History: Clear all historical entries

Events

Parking Management generates AXIS Metadata events:

Event	Description
Entry	Vehicle entered a zone
Exit	Vehicle exited a zone
Unauthorized	Unknown plate, blocked plate, or plate without allowed tags attempted entry
Overtime	Vehicle exceeded max parking time
Zone Full Rising	Zone reached capacity limit (rising edge - fires once on crossing)
Zone Full Falling	Zone dropped below capacity limit (falling edge - fires once on crossing)
Detection	Combined stateless event fired on every plate read. Payload: `plate`, `plateName`, `allowed` (bool), `state` (int: 0 = not allowed, 1 = allowed, 2 = blocked), `inList`, `tags`, `camera`, and the LPV plate crop (base64). ACAP-only, not exposed in IO Rules. Use it when you want one unified feed instead of stitching Entry / Unauthorized together
Count Changed	Zone occupancy changed (ACAP-only, not exposed in Access Control UI)

Events include metadata: plate, zone, tag, duration, camera name.

Event Automation

Use IO Rules in the Access Control tab to trigger actions (open barriers, activate lights, sound alarms) when these events occur.

Comparison: Parking Management vs. Parking Monitor Node

Feature	Parking Management	Parking Monitor Node
Type	Standalone feature	Flow node
Zones	Multi-zone with capacity	No zone concept
Cameras	Built-in camera management	Manual event wiring
Snapshots	Automatic capture	Manual with flow
Access Control	Built-in IO actions/rules	Manual with flow
Statistics	Built-in dashboard	Manual with flow
History UI	Table/Grid with filters	Basic table
Best For	Complete parking solution	Custom integrations