Skip to main content

Biral showcases meteorological equipment at UK highways show

Meteorological specialist Biral recently exhibited its range of advanced weather and visibility sensors at the Highways Management Show in Coventry, UK Biral, set up in 1975, works with companies and organisations across all industries, including road and transportation, to deliver solutions to monitor visibility and local weather conditions as part of smart road systems and intelligent transport networks. Biral said that its VPF and SWS Visibility and Present Weather Sensors ranges are particularly bene
January 24, 2017 Read time: 3 mins
Meteorological specialist Biral recently exhibited its range of advanced weather and visibility sensors at the Highways Management Show in Coventry, UK

8558 Biral, set up in 1975, works with companies and organisations across all industries, including road and transportation, to deliver solutions to monitor visibility and local weather conditions as part of smart road systems and intelligent transport networks. Biral said that its VPF and SWS Visibility and Present Weather Sensors ranges are particularly beneficial to highways applications due to their highly reliable and accurate readings. These sensors can be used to warn motorists of roadside fog, limited tunnel visibility, bridge conditions and general meteorological issues. The correct precautionary information can then be given to road users, such as adjusting carriageway speed limits and issuing fog and reduced visibility warnings.

Biral noted that its SWS range is especially well suited to highways applications as its combination of serial and analogue interfaces can assist with local signage control and can be directly connected to a wider network. The sensors are also used indirectly, to monitor pollution levels in tunnels and control the ventilation systems. They can also act as secondary fire detectors in tunnels due to their sensitivity to smoke particles. The VPF and SWS ranges have been used for an extensive range of applications, some exceeding 20 years, which proves the reliable performance and durability of the equipment. The company also exhibited a range of products from German manufacturer Adolf Thies, for which Biral is the exclusive UK distributor. This range includes meteorological sensors for relative humidity, temperature, air pressure, radiation, wind speed and direction and precipitation. Biral said that its own products sit alongside those of Thies to offer the complete range of meteorological measurements required by local, national and governmental level authorities across the UK transport network. To this end, Biral is developing a Road Weather Information System (RWIS) to be launched next year. The system will combine all of the key meteorological measurements into one compact, reliable and easy to install and use system.

Biral has also developed equipment with the ability to accurately monitor the movement of lightning. The company said that its BTD-300 Thunderstorm Detection system can detect a lightning strike to a range of 83km. The stand-alone unit warns of approaching thunderstorms and reports back to the control centre, giving operators enough time to safely shut down or postpone operations until the system has detected the strike to have safely passed.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Simex unveils GEN II of ART 1000 asphalt regeneration tech
    March 6, 2025

    Simex has released the new GEN II version of its ART 1000 patented technology for in-situ regeneration of deteriorated asphalt.

    Simex ART technology focuses on surface-level interventions for the functional recovery of road deterioration. It does not require the removal of milled material or the addition of virgin bituminous mix, instead utilising only the existing on-site material. Most importantly, it avoids the complete interruption of vehicular traffic, ensuring the road is immediately passable after restoration.

  • PPRS Nice 2018: maintenance moves mountains
    June 22, 2018
    Strategic maintenance was a major theme at the second Pavement Preservation and Recycling Summit in Nice, France. The world is changing, mobility is changing and so roads must change and adapt for the future.” With this brief statement, Jacques Tavernier opened the second PPRS Summit. “At the same time there is a growing awareness of poor or non-existent maintenance for highways. The question for this conference is how to adapt road maintenance in the face of this challenge,” said Tavernier, in his role as
  • Solari gives Doha airport baggage truck drivers the VMS signal
    March 6, 2015
    VMS innovations offer transportation efficiency gains – David Arminas writes. Baggage truck drivers at the new Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, are now getting real-time imformation and directions on variable message signage. The airport opened last April and will be the first touchdown point for fans attending the football World Cup in Qatar in 2022. The airport is only 4km away from the overused but now redundant Doha International Airport, which will be demolished and redeveloped as an urban p
  • World Road Meeting 2017
    April 16, 2018
    The IRF World Road Meeting 2017 was held recently – World Highways’ India correspondent Partha Pratim Basistha reports The 18th World Road Meeting of the International Road Federation took place between 14-17 November 2017 in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh at Greater Noida near India’s capital New Delhi. Close to 1500 delegates and visitors across the world - including India - from the road infrastructure fraternity participated at the global event. The Cross Roads meeting, coinciding with an ex