Automatic license plate recognition (ALPR), or otherwise referred to as automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) involves utilizing camera recording systems that feedback to a computer database in real time with the recognition of vehicles. We live in a modern society nowadays where ALPR is ever-present but for how long has this been the case?
Why was there a demand for ALPR? The original function for an automatic license plate recognition system was to massively assist with car theft detection. Instead of relying on the hope that eye witnesses knew where the thief (thieves) had made a getaway, you could instead utilize real time data of the stolen number plate being recognized as it travelled past camera systems. In turn, law enforcement can act upon the information they are receiving from the computer database and track down the stolen vehicles location.
What year was it first used?
1976 marked the year where automatic number plate detection was invented. It occurred within the United Kingdom at was then known as the Police Scientific Development Branch (PSDB). Nowadays, this is better known as the Home Office Scientific Development Branch. Due to how new this sort of technology was at the time, and the importance of developing it to the point where it would prove to be effective in operation it was not till 1979 where systems were first used.
This three year time span for development highlights how much of a game changer authorities hoped it would prove to be, due to the time and care that was invested in upgrading their operation of tracking down and retrieving stolen vehicles.
However, car theft detection is just one of many solutions that ALPR can help solve nowadays:
- Locate drivers breaking the law: Authorities need to keep on top of citizens who have car insurance and successfully paid their road tax for that year. Both are an annually process which drivers on the roads should be staying on top of. ALPR is used to help detect vehicles and drivers who are uninsured or who have failed to pay their vehicle tax. A huge database system will log road users and their vehicle registration allotted to them specifically, and camera systems equipped with ANPR technology will alert authorities if their has been a hit of a vehicle that has passed the camera and violated either of these offences.
- Maintain traffic regularities: This tech can also be used to help maintain the levels of traffic on the roads. If a large volume of vehicles are passing by then this data can be recorded by the camera system and highway organizations can act appropriately based on the patterns of data they are receiving.
You can find more information on how ALPR can be utilized by visiting SentiVeillance.
