Big Brother is here.

[Paul in NZ]

From the description of the system active in NZ, I would assume that the car in front of the police is the one being scanned. That pretty much only leaves one plate to scrape. It's not really that difficult to scrape the plate from that picture, it's only a matter of how many dollars one wants to invest. OCR is quite reliable on things like typewritten text, as the fixed 'font' improves accuracy greatly. As the number of possible characters is essentially 'controlled', it's a lot easier to tune OCR software for them. I would expect a system like that to be continually taking pictures and scraping them, and then comparing those scrapes together to confirm the accuracy of the result.

Accepted. That would mean a more focussed area that the device would be scanning in.

Currently there are a very few plate variations in NZ so really it should be pretty simple.

The accuray will depend on the tuning you mention which is the real art of these things I suppose?

Oh well.. had to happen but from a techie point of view VERY interesting!

[Lou Girardin]

So the beans fit through that gimp mask OK then?

Yep. But you need waxed paper straws for the Pinot. It's just not the same through plastic.
No friggin' screw caps either.

[imdying]

Accepted. That would mean a more focussed area that the device would be scanning in.

Currently there are a very few plate variations in NZ so really it should be pretty simple.

Very simple really, that's the scary thing. Plenty of hacks making number plate recorders for service stations these days too.

[madboy]

I gather the UK facial recognition stuff is supposed to hunt known terrorists and wanted people at the upper end of the spectrum, rather than the lower end of offending that we all engage in. It's when it gets sophisticated enough that the bar does get lowered down nearer our level of offending that gets me worried... that's only a matter of time.

But Paul's right... cool toys - the techno geek stuff is very entertaining.

[Paul in NZ]

Facial is a LOT harder than OCR due to the variations. But it is interesting to play with. Let me know if you want to see it in action.

Scanning crowds is not really the current application, too hard.

Mostly it's used for border / access control where you just do a one to one comparison. much easier.

[imdying]

I saw that show on the box about the face recognition software they used at the last US held Olympics. Was doing mass crowds, something line a few thousand face comparisons per minute! What sort of computer was running that show I'd like to know?!? 8 Opterons per camera?!?

[Ixion]

Hey, I've had an idea. if you tow a trailer it almost inevitably obscures the car's number plate, right? And that's (apparently) OK by the cops.

So all you have to do to fool these cameras is tow a trailer!


Cops may know that Mr BigBadCrook is driving a Porsche rego no 123456 , but they prolly don't know that he's hired a trailer on long term lease from Bloggs trailer hire.

Come to that, if you are a crook, obvious thing you're going to do is hire a car, right. Gizmo reads plate , comes back with Bloggs Car Hire, oh that's OK then

Or easier, he just regos the car in his floozies name.

Wonder if there's a business opportunity there for some loser to make some coin hiring out his name. Have to keep ahead of the cops looking for this guy who's run up a thousand tickets in different parts of the country, but I guess that's not too hard for some folk.

Woz the law on that trailer thing anyway ? trailer isn't a motor vehicle? Can't say a trailer was breaking the limit , the car towing it was, and they don't know the number of that.

[Patrick]

Yep. But you need waxed paper straws for the Pinot. It's just not the same through plastic.
No friggin' screw caps either.

I thought Hannibal liked Chiante with the sliced liver...nicer than Pinot?

[Paul in NZ]

I saw that show on the box about the face recognition software they used at the last US held Olympics. Was doing mass crowds, something line a few thousand face comparisons per minute! What sort of computer was running that show I'd like to know?!? 8 Opterons per camera?!?

Bugger the PC. I want the camera!

Most of em are shite!

[madboy]

Or easier, he just regos the car in his floozies name.

That's what you do when you get disqualified - make sure the car is registered in the name of someone of the opposite sex, preferably with a cleanish record.

[scumdog]

So they flash your number in the system and can they see current warrent and rego information i.e have they expired or not?

Skyryder.

Being doing that the old 'low-tech' way for yonks, of course if your voice fails so does the info flow!!!

[scumdog]

That's what you do when you get disqualified - make sure the car is registered in the name of someone of the opposite sex, preferably with a cleanish record.

And preferably somebody you don't even know - otherwise we press the 'links' button and hmm, "there's an interesting name, let's stop that car and speak to the driver eh"

Big Brother is alive and well in NZ.