This unmarked disk sunken into the asphalt at the side of the street is a parking sensor from California-based Streetline, forming part of a pilot project run by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp of the State of New York. Using a magnetometer and unspecified “other sensors” together with wireless low power mesh networking, it reports the presence of a vehicle directly above and, by implication, whether the parking space in question is occupied or vacant. This potentially allows for mobile payment for parking, dynamic pricing, and for the data to be used to find empty spots using a smartphone app.

Each embedded sensor connects to one of several transmission boxes, mounted on light poles and shown above, which in turn transmits data to the company’s servers.

Type	Sensor
Name	Streetline Surface-mount Sensor
Owner/Administrator	Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC)
Primary Manufacturer	Streetline