Maryland-based developer of vehicle recognition systems, Rekor Systems Inc has launched a vehicle recognition software donation program for municipalities, law enforcement agencies, and educational facilities across the USA.
Under the donation program, Rekor will provide eligible organisations with free access to its industry-leading Watchman vehicle recognition software. The company has already received applications from organizations across 31 states to provide free-of-charge vehicle recognition solutions. Rekor understands that the lack of adoption and integration of new technologies by agencies and organisations often comes down to budget, which is why it has decided to offer this donation program. The initiative has been designed to provide organisations across the country with valuable data to reduce crime and increase public safety. Eligible organisations can apply to receive two software licenses for the company’s Watchman software, which can be integrated into either new or existing traffic or security IP (Internet Protocol) cameras for real-time alerting of known license plates.
The system eliminates the need for two separate cameras as Rekor’s software can be used to collect license plate data and vehicle identification information using the same camera that provides general surveillance monitoring. The Watchman software system will enable the uploading of ‘AMBER Alerts’, hotlists, manual entry, and forensic searching for up to 30 days. The Watchman software boasts an outstanding industry-leading 99.02% license plate recognition (LPR) accuracy rate. The system provides actionable data and intelligence that includes a vehicle’s make, model, and colour. Watchman is based on the company’s OpenALPR software that is powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies to provide its high accuracy rate.
By participating in the donation program, organisations will contribute their data to the Rekor Public Safety Network (RPSN), as well as gain access to the nationwide, comprehensive law enforcement partnership. Available to any customer that opts-in, the RPSN aggregates vehicle data from customers in more than 30 states. With thousands of automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras currently in service that capture approximately 150 million plate reads per month, the network is expected to be live by the first quarter of 2020.
“One of the biggest barriers to implementing new technologies at the municipal, law enforcement and school district level is budget. Oftentimes crucial programs are cast aside because of large, upfront capital costs that can’t be met with current resources; something we’re learning quickly by the early enthusiasm from applying organisations across the country,” noted Robert A Berman, Rekor’s CEO. “Our new vehicle recognition software donation program is already a success, as law enforcement agencies that have signed up are placing orders to purchase additional licenses. This program is demonstrating that public safety officials can have affordable access to this powerful crime-stopping technology.”
