KAAW (Kommunale ADV-Anwendergemeinschaft West) is the shared IT service body for 52 municipalities in the Steinfurt and Borken districts of North Rhine-Westphalia. In December 2024 it deployed Fleximodo parking guidance signage in Ibbenbüren, its home town. Two sign types show drivers the number of free spaces for the town centre (Zentrum) and for the Schloss Amtsgericht area. Both connect over NB-IoT and are managed through Fleximodo IoT-HUB.
System architecture
The deployment is the display end of a parking guidance chain:
- Occupancy source. Free-space counts for the two destinations are produced upstream. [CONFIRM: sensors or counting system used]
- Platform. Fleximodo IoT-HUB receives the counts, stores them and sends each sign the value it should display. The same platform monitors each sign's status.
- Network. Each sign has an NB-IoT modem and receives updates over the cellular network, so no data cable runs to the sign posts.
- Display. Flip-dot modules show three-digit counts. Flip-dot elements are mechanical discs that hold their position without power and use energy only when the number changes. They stay readable in direct sunlight without a backlight.
The signs are placed as a two-step funnel. The two-line sign stands where drivers choose between the centre and the Schloss Amtsgericht, and shows both counts. The one-line sign stands closer to the Amtsgericht and confirms the count for drivers already heading there.
What was deployed
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Guidance sign 1 | 1 line, 3 digits: Schloss Amtsgericht |
| Guidance sign 2 | 2 lines, 3 digits: Zentrum and Schloss Amtsgericht |
| Display type | Flip-dot, outdoor, wireless |
| Connectivity | NB-IoT |
| Platform | Fleximodo IoT-HUB (data processing, API, monitoring) |
| Quantity | [CONFIRM: signs of each type] |
Integration notes
- One count per line. Each sign line maps to one destination in IoT-HUB. A two-line sign therefore needs two occupancy feeds, and the platform must keep them separate even if the car parks share an entrance road.
- API access. IoT-HUB exposes the sign and occupancy data through an API, so the same counts can also go to a town website or app. See integrations and API.
- No cable trench to the posts. With NB-IoT the only site works are the post and the power supply, which suits older streets where digging is disruptive.
- Reusable template. KAAW provides IT to its member towns, so a two-sign layout that works in Ibbenbüren can be copied elsewhere with new destination names on the modules.
Sign formats and options are on the guidance signage page. For other flip-dot deployments see Martin, Slovakia and Naxxar, Malta.