ALPR stands for Automatic License Plate Recognition and it refers to a camera and optical imaging technology wherein vehicle license plates can easily be recognized whether they are stationary or moving.  Using cameras that are mounted on fixed points such as lamp posts or street signs, the license or number plates of vehicles nearby may be recognized.  The good thing about ALPR technology is that it can be applied and used whether vehicles in question are parked and stationary or moving along a busy highway. The same advanced cameras may also be placed and mounted on motor vehicles themselves for flexible tracking of license and number plates.

ALPR technology for stationary cameras employs strategic mounting locations.  For public traffic enforcers for example, cameras that are mounted in lamp posts or street signs may become very useful in terms of getting images of all vehicle license plates that pass through a certain area or street.  Such images may be used by traffic police departments for example in terms of traffic rule offenders and violators.  Through the imaging and camera technology of ALPR, tracking of traffic violators is made easier.  With ALPR technology, license plates of vehicles can easily be tracked and detected and the same system will save captured images to form a database that can be counter-checked with vehicle license plates registration.

Aside from tracking vehicles in question for traffic violations, ALPR may also be a useful technology in tracking stolen cars.  Through the images recorded by ALPR technology, vehicles that frequent a certain highway will have a corresponding database record for all their license plates which can then be linked to official records.  In this way, reported vehicles that are stolen can easily be tracked with the help of ALPR’s camera and imaging technology.  The same technology may also be used for driver identification as needed by the police or other government agencies.