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As more people inhabit the world, a more significant percentage of them each year choose urban life. So not only do we have more people in the world, many cities are growing even faster than the overall world population.
Larger cities mean more congestion and increased parking space scarcity since most families own one or more cars, trucks or SUVs.
These trends are further complicated by growing awareness of exposure to crime and increasing concern about security. People like to feel safe and secure, perhaps even more than in the past.
Labor costs are rising everywhere, so managers of parking facilities look for ways to conserve human capital.
Parking automation solutions have been developed to address these concerns. Automating functions such as entry and exit to and from parking lots involves automatic collection of individual vehicle information. While people want to feel that their vehicle is safe from evil-doers, many are also concerned about their cars’ information going into databases.
Here are some questions commonly asked about these privacy concerns:
1. What are smart parking solutions?
2. Are ANPR cameras safe?
3. Are they easy to install and manage?
4. How are they updated?
5. Where can they be used?
We’ll provide answers to these questions in this article. You may have others, and a good source for additional information is Adaptive Recognition (AR), a leading company in the vehicle identification business.
What are Smart Parking Solutions?
Smart parking solutions are systems using technological innovations to improve the parking facilities’ convenience, efficiency and security. At the same time, they aim to reduce or eliminate the need for human involvement in parking transactions.
As you might imagine, these systems always involve using some method of automatic identification of vehicles. Some of the systems used for this are transponders mounted in cars, labels or stickers with machine-readable code, and ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras.
The data read by these systems is always recorded in, or compared to, a database that’s accessed by the code or number reader. In some cases, the system also enters data such as times in or out if the charges are made based on time in the facility. A monthly contract that isn’t concerned about time spent inside the facility usually doesn’t require logging in/out times. However, sometimes security considerations may dictate recording a vehicle entering or leaving the lot or complex.
Are ANPR Cameras Safe?
Nearly every government in the world has implemented data security regulations with significant penalties, dictating how personal data must be encrypted and stored. Most also limit the amount of time data can be retained and who can access it.
The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), implemented in Europe in 2018, is one of the most stringent of these regulations and probably the most used as a pattern by other governments. People who handle others’ personal data can’t afford to violate these rules. Violations invoke penalties that can destroy a person’s financial health or even a company’s.
When you expose your personal data (including your license plate number or other vehicle ID info) to any established organization in the EU or any other part of the developed world, you can be confident the data is handled very carefully and securely.
Are They Easy to Install and Manage?
Untrained personnel can set up Adaptive Recognition’s Einar ANPR camera in three minutes or less.
Once the zoom level is selected, it aims and focuses itself without further operator action.
This camera can include onboard plate recognition or link to external software for that function.
The camera has an option for a GPIO connection, enabling it to operate physical elements (opening a gate, for example.)
Other features of the Einar camera that make it an excellent tool for smart parking solutions are described here.
How are They Updated?
Many plate recognition systems can be updated with new software. In the case of Adaptive Recognition’s products, the updates are at no cost for the first three years after the purchase. These updates can be made without physically accessing the camera, simply connecting with it through the way it’s connected (internet, PoE+ cable, etc.)
Where Can They be Used?
Smart parking solutions using ANPR cameras can be useful in a wide variety of applications. Anywhere vehicles are either stopped or moving on a fixed track at relatively low speeds is a suitable application. Here are some examples of related uses of similar technology:
- A duty-free business park in Chile
- A smart parking solution and access control at Argentinian airports
- A pay-by-plate fueling station in New Zealand
- A completely automatic smart parking solution in the Czech Republic
- An automated guest experience at a large hotel in Denmark
- A pay-by-weight system at a New Zealand landfill sit
- Other examples of ANPR and related technology applications are listed here
Adaptive Recognition has led the industry in developing and improving many types of ANPR and other electronic ID reading devices since 1991.
Visit Adaptive Recognition’s website to find answers to your additional questions and talk with their experts to find your unique smart parking solution.
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