A Study on Hybrid Sensor Technology in Winter Road Assessment

Road conditions during the winter months in Nordic countries can be highly unstable. Slippery roads combined with heavy haul traffic and ordinary road users can create dangerous, even lethal, situations if road maintenance is unsuccessful. Accidents and critical road conditions may lead to blocked roads, putting strain on a limited number of main roads in many regions, and may in the worst case isolate areas entirely. Using sensors in winter road assessment has been a popular topic for over 20 years. However, with today’s developments connected to smaller and cheaper sensors, new opportunities are presenting themselves. In this study, we performed preliminary experiments on a variety of sensors, both commercial and experimental, to evaluate their benefits in possible hybrid sensor technology, which can give a more complete characterization of the road surface than what is possible from just one sensor. From the collected data and visual analysis of the results, the idea of a hybrid sensor seems promising when considering the differences in the tested sensors and how they may complement each other.