Automatic License Plate Recognition in In-the-Wild Scenarios: A Comprehensive Review, Open Issues, and Future Directions

Over the past few years, breakthroughs in deep learning applied to computer vision has driven the development of novel techniques and various solutions for automatic license plate recognition (ALPR). Albeit this technology has been successfully used in constrained conditions, in-the-wild scenarios h...

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Main Authors: Amir Ismail, Maroua Mehri, Anis Sahbani, Najoua Essoukri Ben Amara
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2025-01-01
Series:IEEE Access
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11124903/
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author Amir Ismail
Maroua Mehri
Anis Sahbani
Najoua Essoukri Ben Amara
author_facet Amir Ismail
Maroua Mehri
Anis Sahbani
Najoua Essoukri Ben Amara
author_sort Amir Ismail
collection DOAJ
description Over the past few years, breakthroughs in deep learning applied to computer vision has driven the development of novel techniques and various solutions for automatic license plate recognition (ALPR). Albeit this technology has been successfully used in constrained conditions, in-the-wild scenarios have emerged as the new challenge for these systems. In-the-wild scenarios, also referred to as complex natural scenes or open scenarios, involve using regular video surveillance in various settings, including but not limited to drones and security robots. This survey is devoted to reviewing the state-of-the-art associated with in-the-wild ALPR. From a literature-based perspective, we (i) highlight specific approaches used for license plate (LP) detection, LP rectification, and LP recognition; (ii) present some of the most widely used datasets for benchmarking and summarized the results reported in the reviewed studies; and (iii) outline key research directions for advancing in-the-wild ALPR. This paper aims to provide practitioners, researchers, and experts with a comprehensive understanding of the current state of ALPR systems and the associated challenges, particularly in-the-wild scenarios.
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spelling doaj-art-a76b387e23464cf5a18c94aa3099fa2a2025-08-25T23:18:45ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362025-01-011314538714541510.1109/ACCESS.2025.359897111124903Automatic License Plate Recognition in In-the-Wild Scenarios: A Comprehensive Review, Open Issues, and Future DirectionsAmir Ismail0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0507-9566Maroua Mehri1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4763-8584Anis Sahbani2Najoua Essoukri Ben Amara3LATIS-Laboratory of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Systems, Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Sousse, Université de Sousse, Sousse, TunisiaLATIS-Laboratory of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Systems, Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Sousse, Université de Sousse, Sousse, TunisiaEnova Robotics S.A., Sousse, TunisiaLATIS-Laboratory of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Systems, Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Sousse, Université de Sousse, Sousse, TunisiaOver the past few years, breakthroughs in deep learning applied to computer vision has driven the development of novel techniques and various solutions for automatic license plate recognition (ALPR). Albeit this technology has been successfully used in constrained conditions, in-the-wild scenarios have emerged as the new challenge for these systems. In-the-wild scenarios, also referred to as complex natural scenes or open scenarios, involve using regular video surveillance in various settings, including but not limited to drones and security robots. This survey is devoted to reviewing the state-of-the-art associated with in-the-wild ALPR. From a literature-based perspective, we (i) highlight specific approaches used for license plate (LP) detection, LP rectification, and LP recognition; (ii) present some of the most widely used datasets for benchmarking and summarized the results reported in the reviewed studies; and (iii) outline key research directions for advancing in-the-wild ALPR. This paper aims to provide practitioners, researchers, and experts with a comprehensive understanding of the current state of ALPR systems and the associated challenges, particularly in-the-wild scenarios.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11124903/License platedetectionrecognitiondeep learningin-the-wildsurvey
spellingShingle Amir Ismail
Maroua Mehri
Anis Sahbani
Najoua Essoukri Ben Amara
Automatic License Plate Recognition in In-the-Wild Scenarios: A Comprehensive Review, Open Issues, and Future Directions
IEEE Access
License plate
detection
recognition
deep learning
in-the-wild
survey
title Automatic License Plate Recognition in In-the-Wild Scenarios: A Comprehensive Review, Open Issues, and Future Directions
title_full Automatic License Plate Recognition in In-the-Wild Scenarios: A Comprehensive Review, Open Issues, and Future Directions
title_fullStr Automatic License Plate Recognition in In-the-Wild Scenarios: A Comprehensive Review, Open Issues, and Future Directions
title_full_unstemmed Automatic License Plate Recognition in In-the-Wild Scenarios: A Comprehensive Review, Open Issues, and Future Directions
title_short Automatic License Plate Recognition in In-the-Wild Scenarios: A Comprehensive Review, Open Issues, and Future Directions
title_sort automatic license plate recognition in in the wild scenarios a comprehensive review open issues and future directions
topic License plate
detection
recognition
deep learning
in-the-wild
survey
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11124903/
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AT anissahbani automaticlicenseplaterecognitionininthewildscenariosacomprehensivereviewopenissuesandfuturedirections
AT najouaessoukribenamara automaticlicenseplaterecognitionininthewildscenariosacomprehensivereviewopenissuesandfuturedirections