Terminology and Abbreviations of the ANPR Industry – Part III

US English – UK English – International English: Differences in Word Use and Spelling

Did you know that “number plates” are called “license plates” in American English? This is why when you approach a company with your automated license plate recognition (ANPR) solution, they most likely raise an eyebrow. But why is this distinction if both “number plate” and “license plate” mean the same?

In addition to the United Kingdom, many countries like South Africa, Australia, and India that used to be part of the British Empire use British English. Also, countries where English is taught at schools as a foreign language, tend to prefer the British variety. On the other hand, most English language media – ranging from TV series to music lyrics – means daily exposure to an American variety of English. Some vocabulary differences relevant to ANPR are shown in the chart below.

When you set the spellchecker while writing a document, you have to select the proofing language. There are multiple varieties of English on the list – from Australian English all the way to Zimbabwe English – as there are many spelling differences. See the table below for some US/UK orthographic differences.

US	UK
-ense – as in license	-ence – as in licence
-er – as in kilometer	-re – as in kilometre
-ize – as in recognize	-ise – as in recognise
-og – as in analog	-ogue – as in analogue
-or – as in harbor	-our – as in harbour

^{Table 2: Some spelling differences between American and British English}

International English: British or American?

With differing standards and conventions, how do internet users and copywriters know which English to use? Style sheets advise writers: once you start using US spelling, stick to it. The same applies to UK spelling. It doesn’t look good on the printed page to see alternative spellings – like centre and center – within the same text. It makes a sloppy impression. Search engines, on the other hand, are said to automatically include spelling variations of any given search word – they even correct spelling mistakes.

The message to take home: when browsing the web, you can’t go wrong – as an author, it is best to be consistent.

Trade Show Culture, Social Sites, Magazines, Companies

Regional differences are blurred at international events like trade fairs/trade shows and expos, functioning as the primary scenes of communication for stakeholders of the ANPR industry.

Discussion groups like ITS on LinkedIn create shared terminology serving as a common language for the industry. A company’s social media presence, for instance, Adaptive Recognition’s LinkedIn profile and updates, tell a lot about the company’s evolving technology and presence at international expos within the industry. Tech news published in magazines is also a communication channel. Although the publisher is headquartered in the UK, the magazine Intertraffic World, for instance, prefers ALPR to ANPR.

Conclusion

In summary, industry terminology evolves organically via exhibitions, online forums, and publications as well as channels of corporate communication.

As a way of closing this article, we suggest that you visit the previous articles in this series and test your knowledge about ANPR acronyms in the chart below.

Acronym	Full name	Explanation for non-experts
AID	Automatic Incident Detection	Video analytics to identify traffic events
AVI	Automatic Vehicle Identification	Another name for ANPR
ALPR	Automatic License Plate Recognition Automated License Plate Recognition	Technology to read vehicle registration plates, called number plates in the UK and license plates in the US
ANPR	Automatic Number Plate Recognition Automated Number Plate Recognition	Technology to read vehicle registration plates, called number plates in the UK and license plates in the US
ANPR camera	Automatic Number Plate Recognition camera Automated Number Plate Recognition camera	Camera purpose-built for plate recognition, plate and image capturing
API	Application Programming Interface	Tools for building application software that makes it easier to develop a computer program by providing all the building blocks
CCTV camera	Closed-Circuit Television Camera	Also known as video surveillance. Note that CCTV cameras are not designed for ANPR, that’s why CCTV still images and video will be inferior to those produced by LPR cameras
DVR	Digital Video Recorder	Currently, the expression describes computer applications – rather than standalone devices
ETC	Electronic Toll Collection	A system where fees for the use of the road (road pricing) are paid/received without using cash
FPS	Frame Per Second	How many video frames are recorded in a second
GPS	Global Positioning System	In ANPR, it usually comes up in the context of measurement point location identified by coordinates
GUI	Graphical User Interface	The menus, buttons, and icons where users can control the operation of a device or system
IP	International Protection Marking or Ingress Protection Marking	International standard to indicate waterproof and dustproof, e.g. IP67 rated camera
IP	Internet Protocol	See at ‘IP camera’ below
IP camera	Internet Protocol Camera	A camera that is remotely accessible via a computer network and the Internet. The term usually describes surveillance cameras or webcams, but many LPR cameras today are designed for web-based operation, as well.
IR	Infra-Red	In ANPR, this type of invisible light improves imaging without distracting drivers
ITS	Intelligent Transportation System Intelligent Transport System	A smart way of transport and traffic management for the safer and more coordinated use of transport networks
LPR	License Plate Recognition	Technology to read vehicle registration plates, called number plates in the UK and license plates in the US
LPR camera	License Plate Recognition camera	Camera purpose-built for plate recognition
OBE	On-Board Equipment	A device inside the vehicle to communicate with tolling systems: it is a way to identify the vehicle
OBU	Onboard Unit	A device inside the vehicle to communicate with tolling systems: it is a way to identify the vehicle
OCR	Optical Character Recognition	Computer technology to read physical letters and numbers and turn them into digital data
PoE	Power over Ethernet	A single cable to provide both data connection and electric power
RFID	Radio Frequency Identification	In the context of traffic management, it is a type of remotely accessible passive wireless chip to identify a vehicle
SDK	Software Development Kit	Tools that allow the creation of applications built on software
VMS	Variable Message Sign	Also called an electronic message sign, it displays textual messages for drivers like “Construction workers ahead”
VMS	Video Management System Video Management Software Video Management Server	It collects and stores video from cameras and other sources and makes them accessible for applications
VPR	Vehicle Plate Recognition	Technology to read vehicle registration plates, called number plates in the UK and license plates in the US
WIM	Weigh-In-Motion Weighing-In-Motion	Sensors built into the road surface to measure the axle weight of passing vehicles

^{Table 3: Abbreviations widely used in the ANPR industry}