Pelco by Schneider Electric, a supplier of video surveillance and security technology, has selected Florida-based PlateSmart Technologies to join its Partner First Program as a provider of integrated, software-only License Plate Recognition (LPR) platforms. To date, PlateSmart is the only LPR provider working directly with the Pelco Sarix offering of IP cameras.
PlateSmart, a dba of Cyclops Technologies, Inc., was founded in 2004. Cyclops founder and CEO John Chigos, a recognized authority in the LPR industry, says he had several critical goals in mind for this enterprise, i.e. "To prevent officers from being killed when making roadside stops; to develop a product that could assist in finding abducted children and bringing them home before they were given Amber Alert status, (which Chigos calls 'a death sentence') and finally and most crucially, to create a product that would serve as a first line of defense in the fight against terrorism."
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“We’re very excited about our partnership with Pelco,” comments Chigos. “Fighting crime is even tougher with terrorism thrown into the mix. The combination of PlateSmart software and Pelco cameras is an unbeatable weapon against all that, because 75% of all nationwide crime is linked to a license plate. It’s a total win-win.”
PlateSmart claims it is the first company to develop a software-only LPR solution. Operating on the Microsoft Windows platform, PlateSmart is compatible with all mobile and fixed-location video cameras, ranging from older analog units to advanced IP cameras. Universal compatibility sets PlateSmart apart from its LPR predecessors, which required expensive and complicated specialty hardware in order to function, according to the company.
Because it is software-only and open-architecture, the PlateSmart system can run as a stand-alone program or be easily integrated into existing hardware and software packages via its SDK module. Also, unlike its predecessors, PlateSmart is designed to recognize and read all of the various state license plates and jurisdictions in the U.S.
Pelco will soon deploy PlateSmart on its California campus and in South America as it continues testing of the LPR software with its various camera lines. At the same time, the two companies are preparing to jointly publish a white paper detailing the uniquely successful pairing of the PlateSmart software and Pelco’s Sarix line of cameras.
“We are pleased to welcome PlateSmart to our Partner First Program with the integration of our Sarix IP camera offering,” says Jeremy Hoyos, Integration Business Development Manager for Pelco by Schneider Electric. “The ability to combine LPR utilizing our high-quality Sarix IP cameras provides an outstanding solution to our mutual customers."
See also:IP-based video management system is optimized for facial, license plate recognition