Large parking access facilities like Parkhound and those serving secured sites need to know who is entering the area to filter out unwanted people. Some types of locations where this is important are as follows:
1. Offices housing sensitive information and personnel
2. Operating facilities that could be prone to vandalism or terrorism
3. Facilities where only employees or security-credentialed people are authorized
4. Large retail establishments to identify known shoplifters or other troublemakers and deny access from them.
You can do this access control manually or with card-access/RFID codes. However, the most flexible and transparent systems use ANPR cameras. Why are these cameras the ideal tools? Because, unlike other automated systems, they can be connected to any database under the sun.
In addition to providing an appropriate level of security, there are some other benefits to using a plate-recognition-based parking access control system. You can identify:
1. Stolen cars and those linked to other crimes – as most crimes involve using a vehicle
2. Preferred customers – to offer them special benefits, like discounted services or special parking.
Manual systems provide the security-filtering capability to some degree, but the other functions we’ve discussed would be too cumbersome to be handled efficiently with manual screening. In addition to this limitation, manual screeners get tired, bored, overloaded, etc., and make mistakes. Card- or RFID code-based systems make fewer mistakes and can do some other identification chores but can’t be readily linked to databases to identify some cars you want to know about.
We’ll tell you about some unique applications where Adaptive Recognition’s long record of providing top-quality plate-recognition technology has been employed to great benefit.
Chilean Duty-Free Zone With Complex Security Challenges
ZOFRI, in Iquique, Chile, is a 240-ha industrial and commercial complex where 1,650 operating enterprises store, process, finish and sell products with no duty or tax on their transactions. It includes a 600-store mall where customers can purchase retail goods VAT-free.
To control access to the complex, which, of course, employs thousands of workers and representatives, BTCO – the creator of ZOFRI’s access control system – installed many security cameras, turnstiles, biometric ID readers, etc. They recently decided to integrate these many devices into a system called SISO, which stands for Integrated Security and Operations System in Spanish. At the same time, they installed 30 of Adaptive Recognition’s SmartCAM cameras. These cameras are the heart of ZOFRI’s parking access control system. They distinguish between workers’ vehicles, authorized customers of ZOFRI businesses, and those who have no legitimate business there.
Before plate-recognition cameras came into the picture, ZOFRI used facial recognition cameras and video management software – great for personal recognition of pedestrian visitors. However, they don’t work well for identifying people in cars.
SISO can now control all traffic entering the complex. For all entering vehicles, the camera captures and reads the license plate. Then it attaches the information to the vehicle image, using the Carmen® ANPR Image software, and compares it to the central database. The process allows immediate notification of security personnel if their intervention is needed.
From this story, you can see how license plate recognition cameras and software can improve an already-functioning parking access control system.
Revised Parking Access Control System at Ostrava, Czech Republic’s Airport
Parking is an entirely new experience at the Leos Janáček International Airport, serving Ostrava in the Czech Republic. To streamline the airport’s parking access control system, the airport’s operators hired Cross Zlín as the parking and traffic control consultant/contractor. They installed Adaptive Recognition’s Carmen® software linked with ParkIT license plate recognition cameras integrated into the Cross parking platform.
Here’s how the system works:
- The entry loop recognizes the presence of a vehicle.
- It activates a terminal providing guidance to the driver, who receives a time-stamped ticket with a unique barcode.
- The entry barrier automatically opens when the driver takes the ticket.
- When the driver leaves, they can pay at an automatic terminal.
- As the driver approaches the exit barrier, an ANPR camera reads the car’s plate number and checks the system to verify payment. Receiving a positive indication, the camera signals the exit barrier to open.
No human, except the driver, is involved in this entire parking access control system.
The system includes a bonus benefit thanks to an online booking service that generates limited-time parking cards with QR codes. Tourists can redeem these cards in paper form or on a smart electronic device. Scanners at the entry and exit gates can read the QR codes and recognize that the fee has been paid.
As the above example shows, parking access systems based on plate-recognition technology provide unique levels of security, ease of payment, and efficient use of time and human capital.
Stena Freight Line Manages Truck-Boarding With ANPR and Connected Systems
The Stena freight ferry, based in Karlskrona, Sweden, carries loaded cargo trucks to numerous ports in Europe. They recently instituted their rePORT system to track freight and assist personnel with smart technology to streamline operations. Three to four ferries per day leave the home port, each with 300-500 trucks.
To properly load the ferries and keep track of each truckload to get it to the correct destination, they use a combination of:
- Automatic plate recognition technology
- Laser measurement of the size and configuration of each truck
- Truck weight measurement using a weight-in-motion system
- CCTV surveillance
- Linking all of the above in a database to create event data packages
Each truck is pre-registered online so that each ferry load can be planned and optimized. An ANPR camera’s primary lens recognizes the truck when it enters the loading area, while a secondary lens captures all the action and records it for later examination in case of any investigation. Then the truck is weighed, and its load is scanned in detail with high-precision laser technology. If all the data matches the registration information, the truck is directed to its pre-assigned spot on the ferry.
Another player in the system is the Globessey Data Server (GDS), a middleware connecting the data collection with the port’s IT system. It can connect to any database, which renders its capacity virtually limitless. All the collected port data is then available wherever it’s needed.
While Stena’s system goes far beyond a parking access control system, its heart is the same ANPR cameras used in parking projects. Their integration into this extensive surveillance system demonstrates their adaptability, since the moment the camera has a license plate image and has converted it into machine- or human-readable form, we can use it for a wide variety of purposes.
ANPR cameras are the basis of the most capable parking access control systems available.
Adaptive Recognition’s website is where you can learn more about them. See how they can handle your parking security needs and link to any database or software to create the result you need in your business.
