CIOInsider India Magazine
Barrel Scope Solutions: Transforming Vehicle Parking & Access Control Systems for a Smarter Tomorrow
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Saugat Mahapatra
Co-Founder & CEO
In India, the growing urbanization and rising demand for parking spaces have made traditional parking systems inadequate. This has paved the way for innovative solutions, such as IOT(Internet of Things) based smart parking systems, which are transforming how parking is managed. With features like realtime parking availability, automated payment systems, and seamless integration with mobile apps, IoT-enabled smart parking systems are becoming a game-changer in India’s rapidly expanding cities. Among the emerging players in this space is Barrel Scope Solutions Pvt Ltd., an automation startup that has quickly made its mark in the parking automation industry. Founded in the summer of 2022, the company began its journey by providing logistics and supply chain solutions to clients, some of whom were in the parking industry. Over time, the team’s curiosity about parking automation grew, leading them to explore the untapped potential in this sector.
With over 20 years of experience in the Tech & Logistics industries, the founders of Barrel Scope Solutions recognized the significant opportunities within the largely unregulated parking domain. By combining Edge Computing, Automated Payments, Vision based AI, skilled manpower, and efficient processes, the company set out to revolutionize the parking landscape.
The company’s first major success came in Mumbai, where it automated a parking lot in Lower Parel, home to the VFS visa processing office. A month later, the team installed FASTag and ANPR based automation in Fancy Bazar, Guwahati, one of the largest business hubs in Northeast India. Since then, Barrel Scope Solutions has expanded its presence, in major locations such as the largest mall in Surat, in Nagpur, government truck parking lot in West Bengal, highest airport in the country at Leh, and numerous IT parks. Its unique offering and value proposition became popular among Malls, IT Parks, Airports and other infrastructure setups.
CIO Insider engaged in a one on one interaction with Saugat Mahapatra, Co-Founder & CEO,Barrel Scope Solutions. Let's read on.
How do your smart parking solutions work and ensure a smooth customer ex- perience?
Our smart parking solutions combine radio frequency readers and AI-powered cameras to read FASTag data and recognize vehicle number plates. The system’s machine learning capabilities enhance analytics by identifying the make, model, and classi-fication of each vehicle. Additionally, we can detect the color of the number plate to allocate parking rates accordingly.
For the user, the experience is effort less, similar to passing through a toll booth, with transaction times at both entry and exit taking less than two seconds.
Using our Self-Checkout parking technology solution, clients can not only reduce manpower but also increase digital transaction, thus reducing cash handling & leakage
What sets us apart is our unique ‘Self CheckOut’ technology. When a driver approaches the exit, a dynamic QR code appears on a large screen which the driver can simply scan to pay, allowing for an automatic exit through the boom barriers. This system provides visitors with a smooth, cashless, paperless, and queue-free experience.
More than 95 percent of the vehicles are able to exit with FASTag and Digital unmanned payment solution, whereas only 5 percent of the total payment is received via cash.
What technology framework supports your solutions, and how do you keep up with emerging tech trends?
Our system operates on a straightforward mesh topology, where each key component at the Entry and Exit gates is assigned a unique IP address. This setup ensures democratization of data, with vehicle entry and exit timestamps stored in a single repository on cloud. For enhanced reliability, the entire infrastructure is encrypted, lightweight, works offline, easily operable, and most importantly, runs self-diagnosis for preventive checks to reduce unexpected downtime.
We have a unique partnership with NPCI registered technology partner who was the first in India to bring FASTag payments from highways into parking lots.
Our collaborations expand to international organizations with whom we have made forays into GPS-based
tolling systems, which is the future of payment method in parking lots. Our teams are actively working on development and deployment of barrier-less, free-flow parking solutions for malls and IT parks, setting the stage for exciting developments in the near future.
How would you describe the team responsible for building and deploying these solutions? What expertise do they bring to the table?
We believe in the words of Elbert Hubbard, 'One machine can do the work of 50 ordinary men, but NO machine can do the work of one extraordinary man'. While much of the technology in the parking industry can be considered legacy, the way it is brought together distinguishes one solution provider from another. For example, some of our competitors have built a quick fix pure RFID based technology for FASTag deduction, which does not capture actual evidence of vehicle presence. Whereas, we take additional steps by incorporating both RFID and Number plate recognition (ANPR), ensuring a two-factor authentication method. In our system, we also capture the vehicle's image, providing protection to malls and IT parks from any disputes regarding illegal deduction.
We've dedicated significant time and resources to creating strict quality checks and processes, ensuring that even the simplest tasks, like cable laying and conduit work, are executed with the utmost professionalism.
The on-ground operators are the true backbone of our company. They have perfected the art of clean, secure, fast, and precise installations, reducing our costs during the defect liability period. It’s no secret that a satisfied client leads to more business, and the results of our operations team serve as the driving force for our sales team's energy and motivation.
What's the next chapter for Barrel Scope Solutions?
In 2025, Barrel Scope Solutions plans to expand into new industries where our expertise in vehicle tracking, payment solutions, and access control can be applied. We will focus on automating operations in sectors such as ports, mines, coalfields, and similar infrastructures with significant vehicular movement, both internally and externally. This initiative aligns with our broader strategy of integrating GPS-based tolling solutions with parking and access management.
By the end of the year, we aim to complete our first international installation, marking a significant milestone in our growth journey. This will be a proud moment for us as we present a 'Made in India' solution to the world.
