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Expectations for frictionless airport parking experiences have been rising for several years, and the recent focus on health and safety measures has only accelerated this. As a result, the parking and mobility industry has continued to advance its technologies and innovative road maps to align airport parking management strategies with consumer expectations of safer, easier, and faster experiences.

License plate recognition (LPR) technology has been a fundamental component in the parking industry's overall ability to provide frictionless solutions. Vehicle license plates are the credential at access points and pay stations with LPR technology. Performed using a combination of character recognition algorithms and hardware, LPR systems capture images of vehicle license plates and use various back-end processes to ensure they are detected and read accurately. Clear images can be captured when a vehicle is stopped or in motion; however, this largely depends on the sophistication of the LPR technology in place. 

There are multiple ways LPR can be used within airport parking operations. Using character sets, traditional LPR technology reads a license plate number at entry and exit terminals. However, LPR accuracy levels are enhanced when used with license plate Association (LPA).

With LPA, both the visitor and operator experiences are remarkably improved. The technology can understand and anticipate when a vehicle is expected to arrive or depart the parking facility. Operating with utmost intelligence, the LPA algorithm can accurately compare and match a list of vehicles expected to arrive within a specific date and time to a license plate that has arrived at the parking lot entry. The LPA process can accurately distinguish the difference between similar characters, such as the number 1 from the letter L or the number 8 from the letter B. The ability to accurately read individual characters combined with the knowledge of when a vehicle is set to arrive allows for quick, secure, and accurate license plate registrations.

The result is a simple, frictionless solution with intelligent reporting capabilities. Providing immediate entry and exit to the parking facility, LPA is a solution best suited for regular parking subscribers, such as visitors who utilize reserved and employee parking. Systems can be enhanced to display welcome and departure messages customized to the subscriber on entry and exit terminals.

LPA also provides added security and access control. For example, with LPA technology, facilities will have the ability to track if a car has entered the facility multiple times over a short duration. It can also be programmed to understand blocklists preventing vehicles from entering the facility or notifications lists with automatic notifications sent when a specific vehicle enters or exits the facility.

As we learn to live with our newfound reality, airports inevitably adopt solutions that allow them to prepare their parking infrastructure to withstand the implications of pandemics. Investments in LPR technology with LPA capabilities are one way they can do just that.

References

Sharma, A. (2021, October 14). License Plate Recognition vs. License Plate Association. Parking Industry. Retrieved January 24, 2022, from

Sharma, A. (2022, January 7). 8 reasons why LPR needs to make its way into your parking program's budget. Parking Industry. Retrieved January 24, 2022, from

Sih, W. (2022, January 7). The Future of Frictionless Parking Solutions. Parking Industry. Retrieved January 24, 2022, from

Abhadesh Sharma

Manager, Engineering, Precise ParkLink