License plate recognition brings a new security tool to on-street transportation and homeland security in Italy.



Countries around the world seek advanced technology-powered tools to protect communities and citizens from threats to homeland security. PYtraffic Srl, distributor of Federal Signal PIPS systems in Italy, has provided Sintel Italia S.p.A. with a network of automatic number/license plate recognition cameras. This deployment is part of a broader video-based homeland security installation in the Campania and Calabria regions of southern Italy.

Emanuele Polizzi, a member of the Sintel Italia’s technical staff, noted, “The cameras that are already in place are working well and capturing more number plates than expected.”

The camera provides single lane coverage, delivers a high degree of accuracy in plate reads and offers ease of use and integration with larger homeland security and intelligent transportation systems. The network captures and reads the license plates of cars, commercial vehicles, motorbikes and mopeds.

The network then feeds license plate data to a central application, where the data is compared against known vehicles of interest. If a match is made, the system user will be notified as a “hit” and the security video system will then track the vehicle.