Automatic Number Plate Recognition: A Quick Overview

Although the underlying principles of Automatic Number Plate Recognition aren’t all that fascinating, if you’re into technology and cars, it can be rather amazing. Here’s a quick explanation of an automatic number plate recognition system in case you’re not familiar with it. This technology, also known as ANPR, employs optical character recognition to scan vehicle license plates. If you think you can get an ANPR system for personal purposes, think again. The automatic number plate recognition system’s main users are law enforcement and other enterprises or businesses.

The function of ANPR

The functions of the ANPR system wholly rely on the entity that is using it. Law enforcement agencies use this technology in many different ways. One of the ways law enforcement uses this tech is to identify vehicles that are reported stolen or missing or involved in any criminal activity. The ANPR system also plays a huge role in the safety of the public as it’s a huge tool that is used to identify vehicles in cases of abductions.

The automatic number plate recognition system also serves as a great tool for traffic management. By enforcing traffic laws, ANPR aids in traffic management operations. It helps to spot vehicles with expired registrations, those without insurance, and other infractions. Traffic movement can be watched, speeding cars can be caught, and toll collection on highways and bridges can be made easier with ANPR.

The way ANPR works

ANPR systems employ specialized cameras to photograph license plates of passing or parked cars. Utilizing optical character recognition technology, the images are then processed. A database of known license plates, such as those linked to stolen cars or wanted people, is used to compare the extracted characters to known license plates. If a match is made, an alarm is sent, and pertinent data about the vehicle and records related to it are collected. ANPR systems enable quick detection and action by processing a huge number of license plates in real time. 

For later analysis, research, or system integration, the collected data, including photographs of license plates and the accompanying data, can be kept.