MTD calls bids for high tech vehicle number plates
Sri Lanka's Motor Traffic Department ( MTD) has called for local and international bids to procure vehicle number plates and stickers with Radio- frequency identification (RFID) with a view to introducing new high tech security number plates for vehicles within the next few months.
The tender issued by the Cabinet Procurement Committee on behalf of the MTD inviting bids from prospective bidders for the supply of at least 30,000 number plates and similar number of RFID stickers will be closed on April 18.
This technology is primarily used for access control and to provide real- time vehicle location information. The system consists of hardware components in the form of the RFID tags themselves, roadside RFID readers/transmitters and a central computer system as well as software in the form of applications to interpret the RFID information.
The new system will also help the MTD to digitise records and keep track of any vehicle on the road, a senior official of the Transport Ministry said .RFID uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. The tags contain electronically stored information, he revealed.
The RFID stickers have technology similar to smart cards and can be encoded with vehicle and/or driver information which is read by an RFID reader unit using radio waves, generally from several metres away.
This will enable the reader to get basic information of the vehicle such as the registration number and the chassis number and further information could be obtained from the MTD, he said.
The department will ensure that no privacy laws will be breached and it has the sole authority to release information to law enforcement authorities and other relevant institutions in accordance with the rule of law of the country, he said.
A radio frequency identification system is to be introduced for new number plates which will help police to detect vehicular movements in traffic management, security and would be a more efficient way of gathering and disbursing information, real-time which will save money and the use of human resources.