License plate recognition (LPR) is a vital tool in the ongoing effort to automate and enhance public safety for local, state and national law enforcement applications. LPR provides law enforcement agencies with increased situational awareness to track suspects, identify stolen and unregistered vehicles. It also provides crucial forensic evidence during investigations, alerting officers to the whereabouts of suspects and known criminals. On a federal level, LPR enables border patrol agents to automatically identify and track vehicles entering or leaving border areas.

In the private sector, LPR can help businesses such as casinos, healthcare facilities and corporate campuses to autonomously track vehicles on their facility’s property  eliminating the costs, inconvenience and inaccuracy to manually register and track vehicles. LPR can even be used as an access credential in private business like automotive dealerships and residential parking facilities.

Powerful processing platform

The SecurOS™ Auto License Plate Recognition (LPR/ANPR) solution was developed using ISS’ advanced artificial neural network technology in conjunction with Intel Open Vino technology. With over 20 years of experience on the solution, it is engineered to function independently or as an intelligent video analytics module for ISS’ SecurOS video management systems (VMS) enabling license plate recognition and comparative analysis for enterprise level applications.

Built on an Intel platform driven by advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning, SecurOS Auto offers unprecedented identification accuracy. In fact, the system can capture license plate information from vehicles traveling as fast as 155 mph (250 km/h), in all types of inclement weather, including rain, snow, and fog.
SecurOS Auto video analytics technology employs template-based algorithms to extract numbers and letters from license plates captured by conventional surveillance video cameras and sources. It then converts the characters into text, using optical character recognition (OCR), to deliver highly accurate detection and analysis. As a result, SecurOS Auto can accurately distinguish lookalike characters from one another, such as the number 8 and the letter B, or the number 0 and the letter O.
Unlike conventional LPR solutions, ISS SecurOS Auto can process data from license plates from both the United States and countries around the globe using different shapes and symbols. The innovative LPR solution integrates easily with third party parking management or smart roadway systems, as well as legacy security equipment and external databases. SecurOS Auto can also manage multiple traffic lanes with a single camera and can perform a comparative analysis of license plates from vehicles.

 Matching license plates against databases and watchlists

Once in text form, the license plate information can be stored in the SecurOS VMS. The SecurOS Auto software matches the incoming plate information with databases and watchlists containing plate information from vehicles of interest as well as registered vehicles. The system can set custom alarms when matches occur. Advanced search results include snapshots of recognized plates, archived video sequences, and data regarding the time, date, and location of a given recording, along with vehicle direction.

Watchlists might not be limited to stolen vehicles but can also include license plate information of authorized vehicles, such as those driven by employees, residents, or VIPs, depending on the facility. If the system finds a match of a wanted or stolen vehicle it will alert authorities or open a garage door or gate for authorized vehicles to gain access. SecurOS Auto can also quickly generate detailed reports based on license plate activity and identification.

 Make, model, and color recognition

An additional feature that sets SecurOS apart from its competition is the accuracy by which it can detect the color, make and model of consumer vehicles. Independent video surveillance researcher IPVM found that SecurOS accurately recognized approximately 500 cars, trucks, and SUVs during a week of field tests, some during poor weather conditions. Make/model/color recognition only occurs once license plate detection is triggered, and SecurOS operated effectively despite difficult horizontal angles. The feature requires installation and configuration of additional modules that reduce detection of additional lettering found on vehicles beyond license plate themselves.

 Easy integration

SecurOS™ doesn’t require any specialized cameras or additional hardware. It integrates seamlessly with SecurOS VMS, other SecurOS Analytics modules, as well as most third-party VMS platforms and parking management systems, including various types of barriers, gates, and radar solutions. Because SecurOS Auto is a software-based vehicle detection system, it can be adapted for video cameras mounted on stationary structures—such as buildings or poles—or moving vehicles. 

Intelligent video analytics

Even though the human eye might not be able to fully register the license plate of cars traveling at high speeds, SecurOS Auto can capture and extract information in milliseconds providing law enforcement agencies at every level with a powerful tool to help ensure public safety and security.