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Central control for SANRAL open road tolling

Integritron’s IP-based solution provides a centralised single point of control for all security, CCTV and access control to the various SANRAL gantries.

Hundreds of thousands of miles that form the economic arteries of South Africa’s economy are in the care of SANRAL, the South African National Roads Agency, as they endeavour to enhance travel experience and improve and maintain the national road network for the social development and economic growth of South Africa.

SANRAL is currently in the process of implementing an Open Road Tolling system. This form of electronic toll collection (or e-tolling) is a multilane free-flow electronic tolling system that allows for tolls to be charged without vehicles having to stop or slow down, that is, there are no physical toll booths.

Overhead gantries are fitted with the toll collection equipment that recognises the electronic transponder (e-tag) in a vehicle, the toll is deducted from a user’s registered e-toll account and they are able to travel without any disruption. A vehicle’s number plates will be photographed from the front and back as part of the verification process, as well as for those that do not have an e-tag.

As the custodian of a public good, SANRAL is committed to the advancement of the southern African community through:

* A highly motivated and professional team.

* State-of-the-art technology.

* Proficient service providers.

* Promoting the user pay principle.

It is precisely due to this mission statement that SANRAL ended up partnering with Integritron, one of South Africa’s leading technology solution partners, to secure their gantries for the new Open Road Tolling System.

The blend of electronic engineers, software developers and IT specialists at Integritron makes for a very creative and innovative team that can get to the bottom of every problem and realise the client’s specific requirements with state of the art solutions.

Through integration and development, Integritron is able to provide functionality that was either very expensive or impossible in the past. Hence systems become cheaper without compromising functionality, making technology more accessible and helping SMMEs evolve and large enterprises grow further.

Integritron has designed an IP-based solution that comprises a centralised single point of control for all security, CCTV and access control to the various gantries, using a scada (supervisory control and data acquisition) industrial control system.

A solution as inherently complicated as this requires biometric devices that operate flawlessly, both indoors and out, for long periods of time without requiring constant service and support.

Integritron selected the iDU5 Enterprise from iPulse to fulfil this demanding role. Designed, manufactured and supported in South Africa by iPulse Systems, the iDU5 is one of the toughest biometric readers in the world, carrying an IP65 rating to ensure that it handles the tough African climate better than any other reader.

Henk Crafford, CEO, Integritron, said: “We have partnered with iPulse Systems for a number of reasons, including their incredible level of support, their technical competence when it comes to helping with integration, and of course, their best of breed product set. We have used the iDU5 on a number of projects to date, and have found that the ability to use their open source software solutions and the capability of accessing the firmware directly ensures a seamless integration into our final solution.”

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