QRO have been putting Global Positioning System (GPS) hardware into ANPR systems since we started business eight years ago. We are often asked questions like ‘Why is this ANPR result in the middle of the North-Sea?’, and usually when the little piece of location information has become crucial for policing reason.
Trying to understand and accurately use location data can be challenging. The end results are often so ridiculous that it is obvious something is wrong. However, small errors can yield locations that appear to be in the correct area, but are actually a significant distance from where the ANPR detection really occurred.
To demonstrate the problem, consider the following question: What do all the locations below have in common?
52.337336,-0.797637
52° 20’ 14”N 000° 47’ 51”W
N52:20:14 W000:47:51
52°20.23’ -000°47.85’
482018 271706
SP820717
The answer is that they are all approximate locations for QRO’s HQ’s in Northampton!
So why was that ANPR result in the middle of the North-Sea? It is all related to latitude and longitude, notation, and grid references.
QRO’s Software Developer, Max Dickson, explains how these fit together for the final answer. Copy and paste www.qrosolutions.co.uk/demystifyinggps.pdf into your browser to read more.