Cameras that capture and analyze license plate information have proven to be a useful tool for law enforcement as they aid in apprehending wanted suspects, recovering stolen vehicles, and identifying drivers while improving the overall safety of police officers. It is not surprising that the security industry has also embraced license plate recognition (LPR) technology as a means of controlling access to parking lots and garages for private commercial buildings or other facilities and organizations that require a high amount of authorized access.
License plate recognition requires a specific type of video analytic software that can detect the characters on a license plate and translate them into a digital format thanks to an optical character recognition (OCR) engine. The software employs a number of various advanced algorithms to deconstruct the image and produce a result within a fraction of a second. Once the camera is networked to a server with video analytics, it is ready to capture license plate credential information.
When a business utilizes an access control system that features LPR, the analytic software is typically integrated with the organization’s employee database in order to only grant access to current employees. Since employees no longer need to show ID to an attendant, a card reader, or punch in an access code, the amount of stop-and-go traffic is lessened and traffic moves more smoothly and quickly. For organizations that are looking for an innovative payment solution for a parking lot or garage, LPR is a useful tool that eliminates the need for tickets that may get lost or become unreliable. The software is also able to take note of the exact times cars enter and leave the facility, calculating accurate parking fees that help thwart customers who may attempt to dispute payment.
An additional and helpful feature of video analytic software used by LPR systems is the ability to identify and track vehicles by collecting information about the vehicles in addition to the license plate data. For every license plate read, analytics can also capture the vehicle’s brand, speed, and direction of travel. This data proves useful for reporting purposes, forensic investigations, and to analyze factors such as length of stay and frequency of visits.
Related blog post: Focus on video analytics: Metadata