Security Sales & Integration

November 2012

SSI serves security installing contractors providing systems and services; surveillance, access control, biometrics, fire alarm and home control/automation. Coverage in commercial and residential product applications, designs, techniques, operations.

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Building Your Business WHY LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION CAN SET YOU APART by Stephan Kaiser Stephan Kaiser is General Manager of the license plate recognition segment for Montreal-based Genetec. skaiser@genetec.com License plate recognition technology smolders with potential as a viable addition to a systems integrator's portfolio. Find out why common misconceptions no longer bear weight and how end users are thriving with unique applications. here comes a time when every installing security contractor has established their core business and are ready to take the next step. Sometimes the next step involves adding a new product to their portfolio, or sometimes they seek to carve out their own niche by off ering unique and emerging services or technologies. But fi nding a security solution that will help an integrator stand out from the pack can be challenging, especially considering the many options to choose from. One technology worth considering is license plate recognition (LPR) systems. Most integrators are familiar with the concept of LPR technology; however, too often these systems are overlooked as an opportunity to grow business due to certain misconceptions. T e truth is that LPR technology is fairly straightforward, requires similar skills to video surveillance installation, and allows integrators signifi cant opportunity to diff erentiate their off ering in a highly-competitive market. Furthermore, LPR systems easily complement and strengthen end users' existing security and parking by seamlessly tying into to access control and video surveillance systems. And beyond the obvious, LPR technology has the potential to produce generous returns, enabled by some of the most ingenious applications that improve operational effi ciency, boost marketing eff orts and reduce liability risks. What does this mean to an integrator? It is also very saleable. RUDIMENTS OF AN LPR SYSTEM Before dispelling some common fallacies surrounding LPR, let's fi rst explore the technology itself. LPR systems essentially combine a specialized plate reading camera with highly-advanced software to automatically identify vehicle license plates in a variety of mobile and fi xed installations. 62 / SECURITYSALES.COM / NOVEMBER 2012 T e LPR camera is one of the most important components of the solution, responsible for recognizing license plates in its fi eld-of-view, capturing context images of the vehicle and its license plate, and processing the image to extract accurate license plate characters using a form of analytics called optical character recognition (OCR). Immediately following this process, the software compares incoming plate reads against a list of vehicles of interest, also known as a hotlist. A hotlist can range from a list of license plates of permitted vehicles or VIP customers, to ex- employees or wanted and stolen vehicles. If there is a match in the database — or in cases of permitted entry, if there is not a match — the LPR software instantly alerts the operator so they can take action. In mobile installations, where the cameras are affi xed to a vehicle, there are actually two components to the software solution. T ere is an in-vehicle software component that allows operators to review plate reads or acknowledge hits to the database, tied to a back-offi ce system that allows for further investigation and administrative tasks. Although there is opportunity in mobile applications, such as law enforcement, for apprehending wanted or stolen vehicles, vehicle inventory collection and university or municipal parking enforcement, the installation requirements of mobile LPR is much more specialized. In fact, installing LPR systems in fi xed environments, such as placing LPR cameras on the side of a building or at the entrance of a property, carry far greater opportunity for the security integrator looking to expand their off ering. T e fi rst

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