Based in Southampton, Premier Fire Security has among its clients the National Oceanography Centre (NOC). The NOC is a marine science research and technology institution based on two sites in Southampton and Liverpool.
Across its two sites, the NOC is responsible for the global mean sea level data archive, the UK’s sea level monitoring system for flood warning and climate change, the national archive of subsea sediment cores (British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility), the National Oceanographic Library, which houses the nationally important RRS Discovery and HMS Challenger archives, and the UK’s main facility for holding and distributing marine data.
Premier Fire Security were selected to install ANPR, to manage their car park. The NOC’s Southampton facility is a busy site with around 1000 users competing for spaces. Security staff were finding that the two on site car parks were often full when they shouldn’t have been, which meant authorised visitors were struggling to park.
After researching options, Premier Fire Security proposed a RoadPixel ANPR system that would allow each user category individual access periods so that the car parks are used according to the site management rules. The main user categories are Students (the NOC is co-located with the University of Southampton), staff, contractors and visitors.
With an entrance and exit at each of their two car parks, Premier installed a multi-lane ANPR with four RoadWolf ANPR cameras by each of their entrance and exit barriers. The cameras were then connected to RoadPixel’s ANPR PC in the security gatehouse which runs RPX-LIVE, RoadPixel’s security and access control application. From here the onsite security manager is now able to control and monitor all car park traffic and use the ANPR system to provide an invaluable extra layer of security.
Through the use of a database made up of groups (staff, visitors, contractors, and students) all with different access periods, the ANPR ensures that vehicles can only enter the car park during their designated periods. Categories or individuals such as a visitor or contractor can be given permanent access or a temporary virtual permit with specific access times and an expiry time and date.
The NOC is now completely in control of its car park and is able to interactively monitor all vehicles entering and exiting the site. As well as granting access to those vehicles they do want on site RPX-LIVE can also provide a security alert for any vehicle by means of a customised message.
RPX-LIVE also allows users to intelligently search the SQL-based event logfile complete with captured images and the exact time, date etc… for each vehicle entering or leaving the site. The NOC use the data produced by RPX-LIVE with the parking permit database, to calculate carbon emissions as part of their ongoing commitment to the environment.
A staff member at the NOC candidly said: “ANPR is notoriously temperamental (I have prior experience at my previous company) and the RoadPixel system seems to be behaving extraordinarily well in comparison to that one.”
RoadPixel, the ANPR technology specialists will be launching their new range of ANPR Application Software at this year’s IFSEC. Visitors to stand B1515 will be able to see demonstrations of RPX-LIVE, see the latest RoadWolf ANPR cameras as well as meet with the RoadPixel team and discuss in confidence any projects.
