Derwent announce the installation of their REG number plate capture cameras in one of the world’s most northerly - and most challenging - ANPR border control systems. Finnish Customs are using a 12-camera system, installed by Visy Oy, for border traffic operations in Lapland, northern Finland. Here, at the most northerly position (68.5 degrees north) in the Karesuvanto region, traffic moving between Finland and Sweden is monitored automatically using REG.
The REG cameras operate with the VISY Border Gate package, and are set up in six positions across two lanes. VISY Border Gate is built to run with the Oracle9i platform for the best possible performance and scalability. It is designed to perform with a very large number of traffic lanes and constant traffic flow.
REG is also used in a vehicle-mounted VISY Mobile ANPR, which is deployed to monitor traffic on several temporary ‘ice roads’ in the rivers between Finland and Sweden.
At these latitudes the equipment is exposed to freezing conditions, driving snow, high winds and the most difficult lighting conditions anywhere on the planet. During the winter there is no sunlight for several months – and when the sun does re-appear it remains low in the sky and causes severe problems with glare.
REG, with its unique combination of camera, lens and Infra-Red technology, captures vehicle number plates during the day or in total darkness at night, regardless of the prevailing weather conditions. REG also overcomes all the challenges typically associated with accurate number plate capture, including daytime highlights, plate reflectivity, speed, and vehicle headlights.
“We needed cameras that could not only survive, but provide perfect pictures for this important number plate recognition project,” says Petri Granroth of Visy Oy. “If your equipment can work here, it can work anywhere.”
Visy Oy has a well-established track record handling CCTV installations in various locations around the world. The company recently completed border control and access control projects on the Russian border with Finland and, at the other end of the temperature scale, in Spain and Central America.
“We chose the REG cameras because they were ‘plug and play’ and work faultlessly with our ANPR software,” adds Petri Granroth. “In remote locations like this we cannot afford to have any problems with the equipment that we bring in.”
