Industry News: Texas A&M Modernizes Campus Parking with License Plate Recognition
Leveraging License Plate Recognition at Texas A&M to Keep Pace with Growth
As Texas A&M’s student population and staff size have grown, the university’s transportation services department struggled to manage more than 36,000 parking spaces. The division was manually processing new and existing physical permits, as well as conducting foot patrols for parking enforcement. Unsurprisingly, university officials determined that this approach was time-consuming and inefficient.
When the division decided it was time to streamline its operations, it selected Genetec Omnicast and its AutoVu automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) technology. The university opted to outfit parking enforcement vehicles with AutoVu SharpZ3 cameras and installed ALPR cameras at the entrances and exits for parking lots. The new system allows enforcement teams to rapidly spot any unregistered vehicles while reducing the number of patrols needed. The division also changed to virtual permits instead of physical ones, with vehicle information housed in the university’s system after a customer purchases a parking permit.
Mergers & Moves
Allied Universal // Pinnacle Security
By acquiring Pinnacle, Allied Universal adds offices in Atlanta, Georgia, and New Orleans, Louisiana, and expands a range of security services, including patrols, consulting, executive and personal protection, and risk and threat assessments.
Assa Abloy // Pedestal Pro
The acquisition of Pedestal Pro—a U.S. manufacturer of access control pedestals, bollards, and innovative mounting solutions—is expected to enhance Assa Abloy’s portfolio lineup of electromechanical solutions.
Convergint // Fiber Solutions
The addition of Fiber Solutions—an integrator specializing in designing, installing, and maintaining fiberoptics, cabling, electronic security, and audio-video networks—will expand Convergint’s presence in healthcare and commercial sectors in the southeast United States.
Naxicap // Vuwall
Private equity firm Naxicap acquired Vuwall, a video wall control and visualization solutions provider. Naxicap was previously bought by Guntermann & Drunck (G&D) and Tritec Electronic in 2020 and 2022, respectively. The most recent move will allow Naxicap and Vuwall to use G&D and Tritec’s hardware development to improve software and hardware offerings for control room environments.
Announcements
Global security and public safety camera manufacturer i-PRO Co., Ltd., announced that it is in the final stage of obtaining the ISO/IEC 42001 certification for its artificial intelligence (AI) management systems. Upon completion, i-PRO would be the first company in the physical security sector to achieve this certification.
Partnerships
Access control. Integrated video surveillance and access control solutions producer Alibi Security announced a strategic partnership with MyDoorView, which produces cloud-based video intercom technology. The partnership will give Alibi’s network of security dealers and integrators with unlimited access to MyDoorView’s technology and support from its sales and technical specialists.
Drone technology. Motorola Solutions made strategic alliances to integrate drone as first responder (DFR) and drone detection technologies into its 911 command center solution, Commandcentral.
Public safety. Genetec integrated its Autovu Cloudrunner with the Saferwatch alerting and reporting platform, allowing public safety agencies and communities to coordinate in real time, respond quickly, and identify potential threats before they escalate.
