Tag: Mobile ANPR

ANPR cameras help protect your premises

ANPR or automatic number plate recognition is starting to attract some serious interest from business across the UK right now. It has always been a hit with car parking management companies . They have effectively deployed and used ANPR cameras and software to generate some handsome revenues for themselves and their clients in recent years. Car parks and private parking areas that for years have been abused by motorists are now very effectively policed using cameras and software to mean that stays of two hours or over are generally punished with fines automatically generated and distributed to drivers by integrating ANPR software in conjunction with with the DVLA database. Parking in your local B&Q while you watch your local team playing football is now effectively a thing of the past. ANPR has exposed several scams where local security guards would take cash in return for allowing parking. We have heard of one guard who effectively lost his £40,000 worth of cash income per annum the minute an ANPR system was deployed at the company he was guarding.

ANPR camera

It’s not just parking though that ANPR is being deployed for now. Hotels can welcome customers and automatically open barriers for them , the channel tunnel has become effectively automated by the use of ANPR systems reducing the need for staff and many trading estates and businesses now use the technology to ensure access is effectively restricted to any unwelcome guests.

Mobile ANPR is also a growing business now. Debt collectors use this technology to “fish” for plates of cars that are  in need of recovery and this business will grow and grow. Finally of course the police can use mobile ANPR to help them enforce the law and ensure all vehicles on the road are legal. Again this possible by integrating their mobile ANPR systems to the DVLA database.

 

So how does ANPR work ? Well clever software is able to turn a captured CCTV image into text, This is then easily used to integrate into software that can then be used for a number of different purposes, many listed above. With accuracy levels in the order of 96-99 % an ANPR system needs little human intervention. With pulsed infra-red illumination the number plate becomes highly reflective and the camera can easily read that plate day and night , even when headlights are shining directly into the camera. The cameras can also be fitted with instruments capable of measuring speed adding to the control the system gives for site management or safety on public roads.

 

So if you need to control access to your site or vehicles while on your site, open barriers ,operate welcome signs ,control speed or generate revenue through parking fines an ANPR system is the way forward.

 

ANPR cameras, Automatic number plate recognition comes of age.

ANPR cameras  the future of surveillance systems?

ANPR camera

ANPR is one of the few security solutions that has seen growth during the last couple of years. Not just growth but exponential growth! Why is this? Well the technology has improved dramatically and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) is no longer a hit and miss affair. Software advances have seen plate capture at around 97-99% and this means that it’s not just the police who are making use of this technology.

So how does it work? Well firstly you need a specialized camera. High shutter speeds and pulsed IR mean that even at speeds of up to 120 miles an hour a clear image of the numberplate can be captured. At this point the software takes over processing the image into usable data and stores this onto a database.

ANPR

So what applications can this relatively new technology be used for?

Of course crime prevention comes immediately to mind. The ability to network a series of ANPR cameras across the transport network means that vehicles can be accurately tracked this information tends to get used in anti terrorism operations and murder investigations.

We then of course know that ANPR cameras and software are remarkably brilliant at issuing us speeding fines most people will have seen the images and realized that it is pointless appealing against you fine…very frustrating.

However ANPR cameras are now being used for commercial gain and this has seen an explosion in their popularity.

Have you seen the signs now in the big car parks such as Tesco, Asda, B&Q and the list goes on? These car parks are controlled by ANPR cameras that capture your plate on the way in and capture it again on the way out. If you have overstayed the stated time on the signs your plate is queried with the DVLA and a fine automatically issued to your address. Car park management is now big business. Big organizations such as Welcome Break, Tesco, Macdonalds etc all use ANPR to control traffic stays within their carparks the reasons are simple, either a) They receive money for people parking beyond two hours in the form of fines or b) at the very least keep their car parks clear for customers that are actually at their premises spending money rather than those who have abandoned their cars in the car park in order to hitch a lift from a colleague into work. It’s a win win situation for anyone who offers parking for their customers and the car park management  companies who administer and profit from the ANPR induced fines.

Access control.

Access control is also another use for ANPR camera systems. The ability to open a barrier for only those number plates on the database restricts access and controls security. Access can be given for set periods of time meaning out of hours access is also restricted.

Mobile ANPR cameras are the going to be the next big thing especially amongst asset recovery services so watch this space on that one.

So it seems that ANPR cameras are on the increase and legislation is fairly loose in terms of who can use the data. So for now we will all have to accept that where ever we go someone will be watching our every move!!