Overview#
A surveillance team logs a silver saloon seen leaving a crime scene. The registration plate goes into the vehicle registry, linked to the investigation. Two days later, an analyst running an ALPR cross-reference hits on the same plate at a motorway service station. Because the vehicle was already registered in the domain with its investigation link, the match surfaces immediately rather than sitting unnoticed in a separate database. That simple but essential registration step is what the Vehicle domain provides.
The domain manages vehicle profile records for tracking and categorising vehicles within investigations and operational contexts. It supports creating and querying vehicle records by licence plate, with vehicle type classification for organised fleet and investigation vehicle tracking. All records are stored in PostgreSQL and scoped to the owning organisation.
Key Features#
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Vehicle Registration: Create vehicle records with licence plate identification and vehicle type classification for organised tracking across investigations and operations.
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Licence Plate Lookup: Search and retrieve vehicle records by licence plate number for quick identification during field operations and investigative queries.
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Vehicle Type Classification: Categorise vehicles by type (sedan, SUV, truck, van, motorcycle, commercial, or other) for organised filtering and analysis.
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Vehicle Directory: Browse the complete collection of registered vehicles with filtering and sorting capabilities for fleet management and investigative review.
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Programmable API Access: Create, retrieve, and list vehicle records through a structured API for integration with dispatch, surveillance, and investigative workflows.
Vehicle Types#
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Sedan | Standard car |
| SUV | Sport utility vehicle |
| Truck | Pickup or truck |
| Van | Van or minivan |
| Motorcycle | Two-wheeled vehicle |
| Commercial | Commercial vehicle |
| Other | Unclassified vehicle |
Mermaid Diagram#
Use Cases#
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Law Enforcement: Register and track vehicles associated with investigation subjects for cross-referencing with surveillance, telemetry, and other intelligence sources as a case develops.
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Fleet Operations: Maintain records of organisational vehicles with type classification and licence plate identification to support dispatch and accountability.
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Border Security: Cross-reference licence plate data from automated readers with vehicle profiles for identification and tracking of vehicles of interest at border crossings and checkpoints.
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Incident Investigation: Record vehicle information associated with incidents for case documentation and follow-up investigation, with direct linkage to evidence items and timelines.
Integration#
The Vehicle domain connects with operational and investigative workflows:
- Profile Management: Vehicle records extend the base profile system.
- Investigation Management: Vehicles associate with active investigations.
- Vehicle Telemetry: Vehicle records link to real-time telemetry data.
- Evidence Management: Vehicle information contributes to case evidence.
Open Standards#
- GraphQL (June 2018 specification): Vehicle records are created, retrieved, and listed exclusively through a GraphQL API, with typed queries and mutations defined using the Strawberry schema library.
- ISO 3779 / SAE J272 (Vehicle Identification Number): The VIN is stored as a 17-character field and used as an auto-matching key when linking provider vehicle records to unit capability profiles.
- SAE J1939: Heavy-vehicle CAN bus fault data ingested from fleet telemetry providers (Geotab, Samsara, Tyler New World) is classified and stored under the J1939 fault source, enabling standardised fault triage for commercial and emergency vehicles linked to vehicle profiles.
- SAE J1979 / ISO 15031-5 (OBD-II): On-board diagnostic fault codes retrieved from telemetry providers are classified as an OBD-II fault source, surfacing vehicle health data against registered vehicle records.
- WGS 84 (EPSG:4326): ALPR read records associated with vehicle profiles carry decimal-degree latitude/longitude coordinates referenced to the WGS 84 datum, enabling geospatial cross-referencing at motorway checkpoints and border crossings.
- RFC 4122 (UUID): All vehicle record, mapping, and fault identifiers are RFC 4122 version-4 UUIDs, ensuring globally unique, collision-resistant keys across multi-tenant deployments.
- OAuth 2.0 / JWT (RFC 6749 / RFC 7519): Every vehicle query and mutation is protected by bearer-token authentication; the IsAuthenticated permission class enforces JWT validation before any vehicle data is returned or modified.
Last Reviewed: 2026-02-05 Last Updated: 2026-04-14