1.Introduction
Every day, enterprises gather huge amounts of unstructured data. They can gain valuable insights by processing and analyzing this data. Data analysis is not new, but it has evolved with the rise of artificial intelligence and modern surveillance. Artificial intelligence platforms, such as Azure AI Services, Cognitive Services, AI Builder, machine learning, and language studio, offer solutions to complex problems.
Our project uses AI Builder in Power Platform to provide a solution for vehicle and driver identification and verification. This solution can help prevent theft, ensure road safety, and provide information about drivers and vehicles in case of accidents. It can also recognize license plates and check their registration status.
Our team consists of four members with diverse backgrounds and skills such. Pascal Burume, the team leader and Interested in Cloud Computing, Power Platform, and Data Analytics. Adalbert Pungu is interested in AI, Development Technology, and Web Development and Design, especially in the UI/UX domain. Aaron Kasongo is another AI enthusiast who also has skills in Development Technology, Cloud, and Web Development. Salomon is our International Law specialist who also has interests in Design, Website Development, and Mobile Applications. He ensures that our projects are not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly.
We combine our talents and passions to create innovative, functional, and user-oriented projects using Microsoft technologies.
2. Project Overview
The aim of this project is to create a system that can automatically identify vehicles and motorcycles in our city. This system is motivated by the need to improve the process of checking and verifying vehicles and drivers’ documents, which has become more challenging due to factors such as cross-provincial vehicle movement, traffic congestion, border crossings, and accidents.
The primary goal of this project is to provide a solution that simplifies and streamlines the process of vehicle identification and verification of drivers' documents. It aims to deploy an advanced tool, the AI Builder Service, to aid in this process. This system is intended to be an innovative approach to a complex issue, not only improving efficiency but also enhancing safety measures in our city.
This system is expected to greatly reduce the difficulties of verifying vehicle and driver documentation. It will provide a more effective and dependable method, which will improve the city’s capacity to handle vehicle identification, especially for those that cross borders or are involved in accidents and cut traffic congestion by up to 75%.
The project addresses the evolving complexities of identifying and verifying vehicles and drivers' documents in our ever-changing society. With vehicles coming from other provinces or involved in accidents, the task of verification becomes increasingly complex.
Despite the government's attempts to regulate road traffic, we face substantial road safety issues, including traffic jams which often impede efficient vehicle identification. These challenges are further complicated when attempting to identify stolen vehicles or motorcycles and gather essential information about vehicles or drivers involved in accidents, especially when the individuals are without their documents. Ensuring the authenticity of the documents provided and determining the registration status of license plates are also crucial.
This project's innovative solution aims to introduce a more streamlined approach in handling this issue, particularly in our city.
3. Project journey
The project journey started by identifying the primary issue faced by the road traffic service - verifying the authenticity of documents in a driver's possession and validating the legitimacy of vehicle plates. This led to an in-depth investigation to understand the underlying reasons for these challenges, while also exploring a range of potential solutions.
The proposed solution is a network architecture connected to the Power Platform, employing AI Builder and a text analyzer. This setup is integrated with a database to ensure data backup and facilitate communication between devices. This infrastructure forms the basis of our automated license plate identification system. Leveraging the artificial intelligence capabilities of the text analyzer, the system can identify license plates and pull the required information from the database via an application.
Data visualization is made possible through Power BI within the application, enabling the retrieval of data on both registered and unregistered plates from two sources - Azure SQL and SharePoint. Another key feature is the automation of a flow when an unregistered plate is detected, initiating a report that triggers an email notification.
Throughout the journey, we faced challenges like choosing the right AI platform for text analysis in images and determining the optimal method to extract information from the chosen plate in the image. Overcoming these challenges has strengthened our project, rendering it more resilient and effective. The primary beneficiaries of this system will be the road traffic control service, equipping them with a more efficient and precise tool to execute their responsibilities.
4. Technical Details
Our Check Vehicle prototype is a solution that uses image recognition technology from Power Platform to read vehicle license plates. It then checks a database to see if the vehicle is registered or not. We built the system using Power Apps with modern component, AI Builder, Azure SQL, and SharePoint List, which offer a simple interface and powerful features for image recognition. We processed the images with AI Builder and extracted the relevant information. We saved the data in a secure and scalable Azure SQL database. We also recorded the unregistered plates in a SharePoint list and sent an email alert with Power Automate. For data visualization and decision making, we used Power BI. We integrated all these solutions into our prototype, which aims to improve road traffic safety and efficiency.
The system also allows manual input of the license plate number in case the image recognition fails. This option makes the system more flexible and adaptable to different situations, such as when the image is blurry or when the plate is hidden. This feature is useful in places like parking lots or traffic checkpoints, where the image quality may vary. It also helps to verify the information entered by the user in case of image recognition errors.
Our Check Vehicle prototype is an innovative and effective solution that can transform the way we manage and monitor vehicle registration. It is fast, efficient, accurate and secure, making it the ideal choice for any organization that wants to streamline their vehicle registration process.
We will explain in detail in the architecture.
5. Using of Check vehicle
The app Check Vehicle has four screens: Registration, View Details, Check Process, and Power BI. Each screen has its own role and function.
Registration:
This screen enable you to add a vehicle with all relevant information, such as plate number, model, owner, insurance, date of registration, and date of expiry.
Once you add the new registration, the information is saved on an Azure SQL database for high availability and scalability.
View details
This screen enables you to view the details of a registration item. For more details, you can click on an item and the left side of the screen will display the details of the registration.
Check Process
This screen allows you to use the OCR system to process images of license plates and extract the license plate numbers. The OCR system automatically reads and extracts the license plate numbers from the images using AI Builder and OCR technology. If the image is not recognized, you can also type the plate number manually.
The process can be broken down into the following steps:
- Upload an image of a license plate or scan one from the devices.
2. The OCR system automatically detects the text in the image and displays it. You can click on the text to verify if it is registered in the database.
3. A vehicle that is not registered will not be visible, which implies that the plate is not fake.
4. The Power BI screen will enable you to view the report for registered vehicles, insurance companies, unregistered plates, and registered plates. The assurance duration in days is a graph that shows the car models with their respective insurance periods in days, starting from the longest to the shortest.
Report button
- The report button enables you to save the plate number of any vehicle that is not registered in a SharePoint list. When you do this, a mail flow will be triggered to notify you of the new entry.
2. The SharePoint list that contains the unregistered plate numbers
3. Email notification for the new entry.
3. Results and Outcomes
The result and outcome of our project were impressive and comprehensive, covering both numerical data and performance indicators, as well as feedback from testers.
By implementing our solution, we are sure to be able to make progress in controls and road safety.
This project will provide employment to young people who are passionate about new technologies. Through the project check vehicle that will be implemented for the verification and control of license plates, we will discover the possibilities and potential offered by artificial intelligence in its implementation and use in road traffic with the tools and services Microsoft as a solution.
4. Lessons Learned
We learned a lot from the project and faced many challenges. It showed us how AI can improve road safety and how Microsoft’s tools and services can help. We had difficulties with the ‘Check Vehicle’ system, but we overcame them with creativity and problem-solving skills.
This project helped us grow personally and technically. We understood Power Platform with AI Builder better and how to use it in real situations. The experience prepared us for future projects and made us curious about more AI applications for road safety.
5. Collaboration and Teamwork
The success of our project was due to the collaborative efforts of our diverse team of four members, each bringing unique skills and interests to the table.
Pascal Burume, the team leader, played a critical role in steering the team in the right direction. His interest and expertise in Cloud Computing, Power Platform, and Data Visualization with Power BI were invaluable to the success of our project. His leadership ensured the project stayed on track and met all its objectives.
Adalbert Pungu, with his background in AI, Development Technology, and Design, especially in the UI/UX domain, was instrumental in creating a functional and efficient system.
Aaron Kasongo, another key player in our team, brought his AI skills to the forefront, along with his knowledge of Development Technology, and Cloud. His contributions helped in developing the project.
Salomon, our International Law specialist, played a pivotal role in ensuring our projects met all legal standards. His interests in Design, and low code no code development added an aesthetic dimension to our project, making it user-friendly and appealing.
The synergy of our team members' diverse skills contributed significantly to our project's success. The effective teamwork, mutual respect, and willingness to learn from each other allowed us to exceed our project expectations.
6. Future Development
Our project has many possibilities for future improvement and impact. It can improve road safety with better data analysis, more AI technology, and more employment opportunities. It can also explore user feedback and different traffic situations. We want to keep working on our project and contribute to road safety and AI development.
7. Conclusion
In conclusion, our project has achieved results by delivering comprehensive data analysis and performance indicators, as well as valuable feedback from testers. Its implementation has not only advanced our progress in controls and road safety but also opened exciting employment opportunities for young enthusiasts in new technologies.
The project's use of artificial intelligence in road traffic management, particularly the verification and control of license plates, has demonstrated the potential of AI in this field. The successful use of Microsoft tools and services in our project further underscores the possibilities for technology to enhance road safety and controls.
Looking ahead, we have exciting plans for future development and iterations. These include enhancing our data analysis capabilities, exploring more advanced AI technologies, expanding employment opportunities, and potentially collaborating with Microsoft. We also see numerous opportunities for further research to improve the user experience and adapt the system to different traffic conditions and rules.
The importance and impact of our project cannot be overstated. It is not just about improving road safety and controls; it is about harnessing the power of AI and technology to make a real difference in our society.
We invite you to engage with our project and explore these possibilities with us. For more information, please feel free to visit our additional resources. Together, we can drive forward the future of road safety and AI technology.
Start building apps - Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Overview of connectors for canvas apps - Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Get started building with Power BI - Training | Microsoft Learn
Create a single database - Azure SQL Database | Microsoft Learn
Create a list - Microsoft Support