In places where weather conditions can be extreme, ice, snow and aquaplaning can cause major problems. Road surface sensors are used to establish the conditions on the surface of roads, pavement and runways. If you have the right data to help with the prediction of deteriorating conditions, you can take appropriate action before any accidents occur or delays result in the loss of productivity and revenue.

Thomson Environmental Systems has a number of roadway sensors available, carefully selected to give you quick, accurate data when you need it most. Save time and money by avoiding delays, hold-ups, accidents, emergencies and the costs associated with gritting if you know exactly what you’re dealing with in advance and have the capacity to react quickly.

Smart road sensors for any environment and condition
Thomson Environmental Systems provide embedded road sensors, mobile road sensors, and non-invasive road surface sensors available for purchase. Our experienced technicians can recommend the best equipment to measure, evaluate and monitor conditions on your roads or runways, and give you the capacity to respond, quickly – find out more about our team of friendly experts here.

Whatever the solution you’re after, quality assurance comes as standard with any of our products. At TES, our end-to-end process includes delivery checking, configuration, calibration, factory acceptance testing as well as any scheduled maintenance.
Why choose us?
Companies Australia-wide come to Thomson Environmental Systems for quality environmental monitoring systems that offer reliability, accuracy and value for money. With offices conveniently located in NSW, ACT, QLD, WA and VIC, we can help you choose the right road surface sensors you need, wherever you are and whatever industry you serve.

You’ll find all the information you need to get in touch with us on our contact us page – feel free to call one of our offices in Sydney, Perth, Queensland or Victoria or send us a message, and we’ll get back to you.
Lufft Intelligent Passive Road Sensor IRS31PRO-UMB
The Lufft Intelligent Passive Road Sensor IRS31PRO-UMB is a robust piece of equipment designed to be flush-mounted to a road. A two-part housing design means you can remove the combined sensor and electronics unit for either maintenance, calibration or replacement.

This intelligent sensor accurately measures road surface and below-ground temperatures ranging from -40 to 80ºC, as well as road surface temperatures, record waterfilm heights of up to 4mm, ice percentage, conditions with salt, as well as friction. Option two on the sensor provides for measurement of two additional depth temperatures, meaning you could choose for example, 5 cm and 30 cm.
Lufft MARWIS-UMB Mobile Road Sensor
The most important variable for road users is traction. The Lufft Mobile Advanced Road Weather Information Sensor (MARWIS) UMB Mobile Road Sensor detects whether traction is reduced by measuring the increase of ice particles on the road’s surface. The sensor is installed on vehicles and is designed to detect water, ice, snow, slush, friction, road surface temperature, relative humidity above the road surface, waterfilm height and dew point temperature.

Fast and reliable, the Lufft MARWIS-UMB Mobile Road Sensor records road surface conditions at the rate of 100 measurements per second and transmits the data it records in real time. The sensor can exchange data with the control unit of a gritting vehicle for speed and efficiency. 

Powerful tools, including Android and iPad apps, and management software help you control, document and archive data.
Lufft NIRS31-UMB – Non Invasive Measurements Using Optical Principle
The Lufft NIRS31-UMB is a non-intrusive, multi-sensor system that uses integrated microprocessors to identify all road and runway conditions. Since it’s ideal for roads that aren’t suitable for embedded sensors, you can mount this intelligent sensor onto a pole or install it on a bridge 6 to 15 metres above the surface measurement spot.

The sensor measures friction, wetness, ice, snow, frost, waterfilm height, surface temperature, freeze point temperature and ice percentage in water. Configuring and calibrating the sensor is made simple with the UMB-Config-Tool software and allows for easy access to measurement outputs.
FAQs
How do road sensors work? 

Different road sensors work in different ways. The Lufft Intelligent Passive Road Sensor IRS31PRO-UMB is embedded into the road’s surface to detect both surface and below-ground temperatures and conditions. Mobile road sensors can be installed on vehicles and work by scanning the road to determine conditions while other types of road sensors can be mounted to poles or bridges. These non-invasive sensors use integrated microprocessors to identify road and runway conditions.

What are road sensors used for?

Road sensors collect data pertaining to the conditions on roads, pavement or runways to identify potentially hazardous situations. They can be used to measure water film on runways and help in decision-making regarding preventative gritting of roads. If the relevant authorities are forewarned about icy and dangerous conditions, they can take the necessary steps to optimise service routes and gritting quantities to avoid accidents and any operational delays.

What do our road sensors detect?

Depending on which model you choose, our road sensors can measure and detect:

Road surface temperature
Waterfilm height 
Water and moisture
Ice, snow, slush and frost
Friction 
Relative humidity above the road surface
Dew point temperature

Increase your safety benchmark and reduce the costs associated with delays, accidents, and cancellations with our road surface sensors. To learn more, get in touch with our seasoned team of professionals today.