Use Case – Municipality of Knokke-Heist

Geplaatst op 13 December 2025 door Liesbeth De Ryck

A Smart Parking Policy with Eaglebe and Scan Vehicle

About Knokke-Heist

Knokke-Heist has long been a visionary coastal municipality with a strong focus on quality of life for residents, second-home owners, and tourists. A well-thought-out parking policy plays a crucial role in this, especially during the busy summer months.
To ensure that everyone can find a spot and easily enjoy the sun, sea, and beach, Knokke-Heist has been investing for years in a tightly organized parking policy—supported by modern technology.

The Challenge: Enforcement Amid Growing Parking Volumes

Enforcing the parking policy requires consistent monitoring.
Previously, this was done entirely manually by parking attendants. However, with the continuous increase in traffic and parking flows, this approach became:

Time-consuming and labor-intensive
Difficult to scale during peak periods
Prone to errors and incomplete checks

In 2018, Knokke-Heist therefore decided to modernize and automate the process.

The Solution: Scan Vehicle Integrated with Eaglebe

Knokke-Heist engaged parking company OPC and technology firm Genetec to deploy a Scan Vehicle:

A vehicle equipped with four smart cameras
That automatically scans the license plates of parked vehicles while driving around
And checks in real time, via a database, whether a vehicle is allowed to be in the parking zone

However, there was one important consideration:
In areas with temporary occupancy or events (such as construction zones, moving zones, or event streets), certain vehicles are permitted to park—even if they deviate from standard parking regulations. Without integration with this information, the Scan Vehicle would incorrectly register violations in these zones.

Integration with Eaglebe

To prevent this, OPC, Genetec, and Merkator (Eaglebe) joined forces:

Information about temporary occupancies and events from Eaglebe is shared in real time through a custom API.
As a result, the Scan Vehicle knows exactly where and when its cameras need to be deactivated.
This ensures that no violations are registered at locations and times where a valid permit applies.

This makes Knokke-Heist a prime example of a Smart City application where multiple partners combine their expertise.

For the Municipality

For the municipal administration of Knokke-Heist, the integration between Scan Vehicle and Eaglebe represents a major step toward a smarter and more consistent parking policy. By automating enforcement and supplementing it with up-to-date permit data, the workload for municipal services is reduced and decisions are better informed.

More Efficient Enforcement

Parking inspections are carried out automatically and on a large scale, without placing additional pressure on parking attendants.

Fewer Incorrect Fines

Thanks to the integration with Eaglebe, permitted occupancies and events are automatically taken into account.

Better Coordination Between Departments

Parking policy, permits, and occupancies all operate using the same up-to-date information.

For Residents, Visitors, and Organizers

This approach also makes a clear difference for those who live, work, or visit Knokke-Heist. Parking regulations are applied more transparently, permitted situations are correctly respected, and the overall parking experience in the municipality is noticeably improved.

Fairer Enforcement

Permitted vehicles are not incorrectly fined in zones with temporary occupancies or events.

Greater Clarity

The rules are applied more consistently, resulting in greater trust in the parking policy.The regulations are enforced more consistently, which leads to increased confidence in the parking policy.

Smoother Experience Within the Municipality

A well-organized parking policy contributes to a pleasant experience for residents, second-home owners, and tourists.

Collaboration as a Smart City Model

This partnership between OPC, Genetec, and Merkator (Eaglebe) is a strong example of how open data and integrations can make public spaces smarter:

Different technologies are connected rather than used in isolation.
Each party brings its own expertise: parking management, camera technology, occupancies & permits.
The focus is on rapid, cost-effective technological progress tailored to the end user.

Knokke-Heist demonstrates how a local government can use targeted digitalization to develop a smart parking policy that benefits both the administration and its users.

Would you like to make your parking policy smarter—just like Knokke-Heist—by integrating enforcement and occupancy management?

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