Poole, UK, 2015-Mar-12
The partnership follows successful road monitoring trials by OptaSense in the UK and overseas comparing the performance of the DAS system with conventional inductive loop technology to provide information on average speed, journey times and congestion.
According to Gordon Wakeford, Managing Director, distributed fibre sensing could have the potential to greatly reduce the monitoring cost for road operators. ‘Siemens has a long heritage in providing traffic management solutions and we are always looking to bring forward innovation within our industry and are impressed with the potential for DAS to perform many of the functions currently achieved with existing roadside equipment. . We look forward to exploring the potential of OptaSense DAS with our customers, he said.
Unlike inductive loops, which are concealed beneath the road surface, DAS uses fibre optic cables already installed alongside the carriageway, removing the need for lane closures during installation or maintenance and improving safety for highway workers.
DAS technology works by firing a laser down a fibre optic cable and measuring any disturbance to the laser and analysing it to create a series of microphones every 10 metres, thereby eliminating blind spots and potentially reducing incident response times.
Siemens was established in the United Kingdom more than 170 years ago and now employs 13,760 people in the UK. As the world’s largest engineering company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey.
Media contacts
Emma Whitaker
Tel: 079212 46942 Email: emma.whitaker@siemens.com
PR Manager, Julian Gollogly
Phone: 07770 924441 E-mail: julian.gollogly@ntlworld.com
For further information and press pictures please see: www.siemens.co.uk/traffic
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is No. 1 in offshore wind turbine construction, a leading supplier of combined cycle turbines for power generation, a major provider of power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal year 2014, which ended on September 30, 2014, Siemens generated revenue from continuing operations of €71.9 billion and net income of €5.5 billion. At the end of September 2014, the company had around 357,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.
