LicensePlateRecognition
Latest
California mall owner's license plate readers send info to ICE (updated)
Some shopping malls in California are scanning license plates and sending that data to a surveillance vendor that works with -- and sells information to -- Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. That's according to a report by tech watchdog group Electronic Frontier Foundation, which discovered that a regional real estate company operating retail centers across the western state is feeding visitor information into a nationwide database that ICE reportedly gained access to at the beginning of this year.
DHS seeks bids for access to license-plate tracking systems
The Department of Homeland Security wants access to data about when and where suspects have traveled, and it could get that information from a license-plate tracking system. According to The Washington Post, the DHS first sought a private company that gathers location data in February last year. But it soon pulled back because of the backlash from advocates of privacy and civil liberties who pointed out that access to a commercial tracking system would allow field officers to pinpoint the location of millions of citizens who commute everyday. Now, a year later, the DHS is back with a new solicitation – that this time it says can both meet its goal and protect citizen privacy.
Microsoft, NYPD build new policing software, NYC takes 30 percent of the profit
Microsoft is releasing the Domain Awareness System, a software kit, designed with the NYPD, for law enforcement agencies. Pulling together data from CCTV Cameras, radiation detectors and license-plate readers, it uses a detailed database to give instant tracking when things take a turn for the worse. It's also taking some cues from the city's CompStat, using geographical patterns to help effectively deploy members of the 5-0 in areas statistically likely to suffer more crime. DAS is being marketed worldwide, with the city of New York taking a cut of 30 percent of the profit and a copy of any useful tweaks that are made in the field. We're just sad that none of the NYPD:Blue fans at Redmond decided to call the system Sipowi...ndows (geddit?).
Cordon multi-target photo-radar system leaves no car untagged (video)
Go easy on the gas, Speed Racer, because Cordon is on its way. Developed by Simicon, this new speed sensor promises to take highway surveillance to new heights of precision. Unlike most photo radar systems, which track only one violator at a time, Simicon's device can simultaneously identify and follow up to 32 vehicles across four lanes. Whenever a car enters its range, the Cordon will automatically generate two images: one from wide-angle view and one closeup shot of the vehicle's license plate. It's also capable of instantly measuring a car's speed and mapping its position, and can easily be synced with other databases via WiFi, 3G or WiMAX. Plus, this device is compact and durable enough to be mounted upon a tripod or atop a road sign, making it even harder for drivers to spot. Fortunately, though, you still have time to change your dragster ways, as distributor Peak Gain Systems won't be bringing the Cordon to North America until the first quarter of 2012. Cruise past the break to see some footage of a field trial that's currently underway -- cars tagged with a green dot are traveling below the speed limit, those with a yellow marking are chugging along within an acceptable range above the limit, while vehicles with a red tab are just asking for trouble.
