It has been a busy few months for PIPS Technology as the company has worked hard to complete a number of large-scale ITS projects throughout the UK, launched new products such as the Spikelet and the SpikeletSP and attended some of the largest industry exhibitions in the world, including the ITS World Congress and Intertraffic Amsterdam.
PIPS Technology is an industry leader in both the development and manufacture of ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) systems, and provides a wide range of ITS applications, throughout the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. PIPS most popular ITS product is their journey time measurement system (JTMS) software, which has recently been installed in various locations around the UK.
One of PIPS larger scale projects has recently has been completed in Gloucestershire. In a move forward from the ‘Ring of Steel’ provided by PIPS to Gloucestershire Constabulary in 2006, a unique partnership has been formed between the constabulary and Gloucestershire County Council, in which more of PIPS ANPR cameras have been added to the existing system along with JTMS software. The system is now able to monitor journey times and traffic flow around the county for the council while simultaneously providing intelligence for the police.
The JTMS system, which PIPS installed in Bradford, is one of the most comprehensive ANPR systems in the country. The system consists of more than 90 cameras in total and is similar to Gloucestershire as it is used by the council for measuring journey times and by the West Yorkshire police to monitor vehicles of interest. The unique part of the Bradford system is the size. As the Bradford area is relatively small, compared to Gloucestershire, the system has been able to cover all routes in and out of the city with ANPR technology.
To complete the Bradford system, PIPS supplied their Spike fixed site ANPR cameras and JTMS software and the PIPS portal software. PIPS cameras were chosen due to their high-performance levels, day and night, in any weather conditions. The cameras are also fully integrated, limiting the impact on the city infrastructure.
The ANPR cameras are triggered when a vehicle passes the field of view of any of the cameras. The number plate data is then sent to the JTMS and portal software. Data received by the portal software can be used by the police to monitor vehicles of interest as they move around the city. Allowing the police access to the data received means that they are aware of any suspected criminals entering or leaving the city, making the area much safer for all residents.
Paul Negus, managing director of PIPS Technology, commented: “Through our expert knowledge of ANPR, we are able to offer an exceptional service tailored to the individual needs of each client, which has been clearly demonstrated through our collaboration with the city of Bradford.”
PIPS has also supplied Devon and Cornwall constabulary with further ANPR Technology to improve their existing traffic monitoring system. PIPS originally supplied Devon and Cornwall constabulary with the system in 2006 and now it has been extended to cover more points throughout the counties.
The cameras are able to monitor routes around the counties and inform the Devon and Cornwall control room of any vehicles of interest that may have been involved in criminality. When a vehicle of interest passes one of the cameras, the Devon and Cornwall control room is alerted and an interceptor vehicle is despatched to the exact location to further investigate the vehicle in question.
Devon and Cornwall constabulary’s system is also able to help the police with intelligence gathering for their counter terrorism policy, as well as providing safety coverage for the 2012 Olympic Games by providing advanced warning of cross boarder criminals. The Devon and Cornwall system is linked to the National ANPR Data Centre (NADC), which allows the force to track criminals nationally, denying them the use of the roads.
Stephen Innes, ANPR Manager at Devon and Cornwall said: “Extending the network is something that we have been planning to do for some time, and PIPS cameras are able to provide us with the high capture rates desired for this type of deployment.”
