License Plate Recognition: It’sGrown Far Beyond Airports


BY MICHAEL HARLOW


typically within the airport parking scope. Now, that’s all about to change.


M ALPR technology has been used for years as an access


control function for gated communities, and Visometrix sees the opportunities far beyond that of just parking. “We had to design our ALPR system to work flawlessly,


since it was the only means for a homeowner to enter their gat- ed community,” says Barrington Hilsley, founder of the Gate- Works Group company. “We are proud to say that our systems operate some of the finest gated communities in the nation, using ourALPR engine with extremely successful results.” The newest application is installing the ALPR system in


parking garages to thwart poaching parkers and those that vali- date throughout the day to obtain free parking. Having the abil- ity to track vehicles entering and exiting the facility allows management to keep close watch on repeating violators. Those vehicles can be flagged in the database, and alerts


can be generated based on the frequency of the parker. The sys- tem generates a file with location of entry/exit, time, license plate and an overview image. So when confronting violators, you have indisputable proof they are in violation. The application also can be used as a “soft nesting” fea- ture. If you want your employees to use only one gate to


they even pass the guardhouse.” The ALPR system -consists of a low-profile housing with


a color overview camera, high-efficiency infrared (IR) illumi- nating LEDs and a black-and-white license plate capture cam- era.With the high-powered IR, the camera can see in total dark- ness for 24-hour operations. The cameras have a varifocal lens that can be remotely


The newest application is installing the ALPR system in parking garages to thwart poaching parkers and those that validate throughout the day to obtain free parking.


enter/exit, the system can be flagged if the employee enters another location. The applications are almost limitless. In this day and age of reducing costs, one of the best things


about this type of ALPR technology is that there are no con- sumables to purchase. In a typical access control application, the system owner needs to purchase RFID tags, proximity cards, tokens or other credential devices – all at a cost to the owner and/or passed on to the users. Since the system reads the license plate, there is nothing


more to purchase. “Another great benefit to the customer is the speed of the


system,” Hilsley said. “The system can read plates up to 140 miles per hour (a touch fast to enter a gated community!), so speed is regulated for residents and the gate is opening before


16 JULY 2009 • PARKING TODAY • www.parkingtoday.com


focusedwith the included software to capture crisp images from 8 feet to 150 feet. The cameras are connected to the robust Visometrix proprietaryALPR software engine,which identifies and processes the plate information in a fraction of a second. The best part is that this systemcan be fixed or mobile, such as the company’s instal- lations with units of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Because the technology is so ver-


satile, the department uses it as a law enforcement application. At the beginning of a deputy’s shift, all Cali- fornia law enforcement Internet


information is sent from the back-office system wirelessly to the patrol vehicle. Once the database has been transferred, the patrol vehicle


has all the latest “hot list” information for that day. As the deputy goes about his regular shift, the ALPR system is con- stantly reading plates and usually captures up to 6,000 plates a shift. If a stolen, felony warrant, Amber Alert, DUI or other hot list vehicle plate is captured, the system will notify the deputy instantly. Once the deputy returns from his shift, the information is


wirelessly transferred from the vehicle to the back-office com- puter in a database format. Data-mining is a great tool with this system as well. If a Continued on Page 18


OST PEOPLE IN THE PARK- ING industry have heard about automated license plate recogni- tion (ALPR) to some degree, and they have seen the installations


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56