Over the course of time, automatic numeric plate recognition (ANPR) has become more cutting-edge, thanks to advances in technologies such as high-definition imaging and analytics.
More and more, there is an increasing number of automatic numeric plate recognition (ANPR) deployments in cities across the globe, not just for security but also for more effective management for car park operators and other end users. And over the course of time, ANPR has become more cutting-edge, thanks to advances in technologies such as high-definition imaging and analytics.
One ANPR player, 4Sight Imaging, has leveraged progress in these fields to roll out innovative solutions. "High-definition imaging software and camera equipment have developed dramatically in recent years … making it easier for users to use vehicle identification intelligence to overcome challenges in everything from policing to parking,” said Marcus Boden, Business Development Director at 4Sight Imaging. “Many existing vendors simply take images ‘as is,’ which for surveillance purposes is generally adequate, but for reliable ANPR a more sophisticated approach is required.”
The company in 2010 introduced Veracity, billed as the industry’s first plug-and-play, HD commercial-off-the-shelf ANPR solution. Recently, 4Sight launched the next generation of Veracity – Veracity V2. Thanks to the latest high-definition imaging technology, the solution can now overcome certain challenges facing end users, for example identifying suspicious vehicles from other countries that are driving across borders.
“In different countries, different colored plates can denote different classifications of vehicles and uses, for example, taxis, military, police, hire car, heavy goods vehicle and diplomatic transport,” Boden said. “4Sight believes it is the only vendor to currently offer ultra-high definition (UHD) ANPR, and it is this capability that is powering new world firsts in identifying license plate color, country of registration, identity of the state, region or province where the vehicle is registered.”
Another feature that sets Veracity V2 apart is the use of advanced analytics. “To help drive value from big data, 4Sight integrates Veracity with the most advanced analytics applications available, which include real-time convoy analysis, cloned plate analysis, cell site analysis, geographic analysis and predictive analysis,” Boden said. “Live maps offer instant visual realization of the most relevant data required, making it easy to track vehicle movements and plot ANPR reads, view heat maps and analyze deployment hotspots, and implement live alerts from nearby ANPR cameras to operators and mobile units.”
Besides combating crime and keeping the public safe, Veracity V2 can also help streamline operations and optimize revenue for car park operators. According to the company, in a single camera/multi-lane environment, direction of travel is used to calculate the amount of time spent in the car park according to images of entry and exit, and traditionally this has required costly manual efforts.
“The ability of Veracity V2 to automate these processes by applying logic to key data points such as licence plate color and direction of travel and time has dramatically reduces these costs,” Boden said. “For one of Europe’s leading car park operators, this means increased revenue of 100,000 GBP per day, as well as tangible savings on equipment, installation and maintenance.”