Many modern technologies are created for the purpose of making daily life easier. This is the case with the license plate recognition system, a technology that is being utilized as a part of corporate security systems in Allentown, PA. From access control in parking lots to the use of mobile apps for automatic license plate reading, ANPR technology has become a very useful tool for many companies.
What Is ANPR?
ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) is an OCR (optical character recognition) technology that is capable of reading and recording license plate characters. To do this, a digital image of the license plate is taken at a certain resolution using an ANPR camera. This image is processed by the ANPR software, converting the pixels into text and storing the result in a database, which can later be consulted.
Where Can It Be Applied?
ANPR is a technology that allows access control to a venue by controlling its capacity. It is common for many supermarkets and department stores to use it to control access to their parking areas. In industrial areas, license plate recognition is also used as a security measure to control the flow of traffic, even allowing the use of a recording system that allows scenes to be seen before and after the vehicle has passed. Control of access to road tolls is another common use of ANPR.
Parking Control
In the management of car parks, ANPR facilitates the payment, entry, and exit of vehicles, automating the entire process. With license plate recognition, vehicles are registered at the entrance to the car park and once the corresponding payment has been made, they can exit when the system detects the license plate.
Gas Stations
Gas stations use a license plate reader linked to pump management and a video recording system (NVR). With this system, they can identify customers and their consumption habits, carrying out actions to retain them (offers, discounts, among others). It is also used to create blacklists of customers who leave the service station without paying for fuel (being able to block refueling or force prepayment for registration).
Law Enforcement
State security forces use license plate recognition technology for different uses, such as fines for speeding or illegal parking, control of parking areas limited by time or recognition of vehicles that do not have compulsory insurance.
People Searches
ANPR technology makes it possible to search for people by detecting their vehicles. By looking for the license plate, it is possible to detect if a certain vehicle has passed through a road or parking lot. Being able to know important data such as the date and time can be beneficial for the search.
Contact Keystone Fire
The use of ANPR involves taking pictures of vehicle registration plates and, in many cases, it is associated with video recordings, so the legal regulations must be considered for its correct use. License plate recognition and access control systems open up an ethical debate on people’s privacy since a negligent or massive use of this technology could go against basic freedoms. For your corporate security systems in Bucks County, PA, contact Keystone Fire today.