MARWIS - Mobile Advanced Road Weather Information Sensor
MARWIS is the first road and runway weather sensor detecting road conditions, temperatures, friction and other parameters mobile and in real time from driving vehicles.
The mobile road weather sensor MARWIS turns vehicles into driving weather stations by detecting several critical road and runway weather parameters. It can be installed on vehicles with a distance of 1 - 2m above the surface and delivers information about temperatures, waterfilm heights, dew points, road conditions (dry, moist, wet, snow, ice), ice percentages, rel. humidity and friction with a frequency of up to 100 times per second and a max. output rate of 10 Hz. It serves as an important decision support with regard to preventive gritting. Due to the open interface protocols, MARWIS can be easily integrated into existing winter maintenance monitoring networks. Similarly, the mobile road sensor can communicate directly with the control system on gritting vehicles. The measurement data output supports the protocol UMB binary.
- Road condition (dry, moist, wet, ice, snow, slush, chemically wet), road surface temperature, ambient temperature, water film height up to 6mm, dew point temperature, relative humidity, ice percentage, friction (calculated)
- Optical LED transmitters, photo receivers, pyrometer, infrared
- Mobile, plug and play, 100 measurements per second with max. output rate of 10Hz, multifunctional, real time thermal mapping, wireless data transfer
- Bluetooth, RS485, CAN-Bus
- 8900.U03, 8900.U04
- Advantages
- Benefits
- Examples of use
- Product variants
- App Installation
- Resources
- Videos
- Sensors
- Accessories
- Technical Data
- FAQs
Advantages of the mobile road and weather sensor MARWIS:
- Easy data transfer via Bluetooth, RS485 or CAN-Bus
- Dynamic mobile data in real time and 100 times per second and a max. output rate of 10Hz.
- Multifunctionality
- Measurements both on the ground and in the ambient air
- Easy to install and to clean
- Free MARWIS app for calibration, data view as well as transfer available on Google Play and iTunes
- One or two meter version for different vehicle types
What benefits provides MARWIS for you?
- If you’re responsible for road inspections to prevent traffic disturbances in time due to weather related road impairment (preventive de-icing), MARWIS reliably and precisely registers road conditions on your tour. Thus, you get evidence and weather documentation at the end of your inspection tour automatically.
- If your fleet of gritting vehicles is already digitally equipped, the attachment of MARWIS provides important additional information to your electronic gritting book. How were the road conditions during the operation? Where was it dry, where was it wet and on which bridge was the friction critical? These data about conditions are included in your fleet recordings thanks to MARWIS.
- Falls Sie bereits das halbautomatische Streuen von Enteisungsmitteln praktizieren (temperaturabhängig), liefert der MARWIS künftig alle wichtigen Daten für automatisches Streuen. Der Fahrer kann sich auf das Fahren unter extremen Bedingungen konzentrieren, kann aber auch den Automatismus manuell korrigieren.
- Der MARWIS erkennt zukünftig auch, an welcher Position sich das Wetter innerhalb der nächsten 2-3 Stunden verschlechtert, so dass präventiv gestreut werden kann.
Examples of use of the mobile road and weather sensor MARWIS:
- Decision support for winter maintenance operators on roads, motorways, highways (municipalities, federal states and provinces)
- Decision support for the de-icing of runways (higher efficiency)
- As important part of the IDS (Ice Detection System) in form of a RCC (Runway Condition Code), water film height (aqua-planning risk) and friction detector on airports (digital alternative to mechanic grip testers)
- For smart city applications
- For weather data collection and weather forecast model improvements
Product variants of the mobile road and weather sensor MARWIS:
The mobile road and weather sensor MARWIS is available in two different product versions, which is needed to cover all possible mounting positions on different vehicles:
- Version 1: Approx. 1m measurement distance to road surface (Article no. 8900.U03)
Often used on trucks with mounting on height of the wheelhouse - Version 2: Approx. 2m measurement distance to road surface (Article no. 8900.U04)
Often used on cars with MARWIS mounting on the roof of the car
App Installation
The MARWIS App is available for iOS and Android and has the following functions:
- Visualization of the readings
- Configuration of the sensor
- Automatic upload of the measurements to the ViewMondo-Server
- Automatic MARWIS software update
In addition to the PlayStore, our App is available for download via HTTP in APK format.
How to install Android APK from other sources than Google Play Store:
Do you need some help with using the MARWIS app?
There are many useful information here on our help page.
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EU declaration of conformity - Lufft MARWIS and StaRWIS
EU declaration of conformity - Lufft MARWIS and StaRWIS
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RoHS - MARWIS / StaRWIS
RoHS - Declaration of Conformity / Konformitätserklärung - MARWIS / StaRWIS
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Whitepaper - Road Weather Selection Guide
The Whole World of Road Weather Monitoring
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General | |
Dimensions | Height approx. 110 mm, width approx. 200 mm, depth approx. 100 mm |
Weight | 1.7 kg |
Admissible storage temperature | -40...70 °C |
Operating rel. humidity | <95 % relative humidity non-condensing |
Operating voltage | 10...28 VDC on the sensor |
Power consumption | Approx. 3VA without heating, 50VA with heating |
Operating temperature | -40...60 °C |
Operating rel. humidity | 0...100 % RH |
Protection type | IP68 |
Surface conditions | Dry, damp, wet, snow-/ice-covered, chemically wet, slush |
Admissible height above absolute altitude | 3000 m |
Interface | RS485, 2 wire, half duplex, bluetooth, CAN |
Road surface temperature | |
Principle | Optical |
Measuring range | -40...70 °C |
Unit | °C |
Accuracy | ± 0.8 °C @ 0 °C |
Resolution | 0.1 °C |
Ambient temperature | |
Measuring range | -50...70 °C (°F switchable) |
Unit | °C (°F switchable) |
Resolution | 0.1 °C |
Relative air humidity | |
Measuring range | 0...100 % |
Unit | % |
Resolution | 1 % |
Principle | passive, calculated out of air temperature and humidity |
Relative humidity above road surface | |
Measuring range | 0 ... 100 % |
Unit | % |
Resolution | 0.1 % |
Principle | passive, calculated out of air temperature and humidity above road surface |
Dew point temperature | |
Measuring range | -50 ... 60 °C |
Unit | °C |
Resolution | 0.1 °C |
Principle | passive, calculated out of air temperature and humidity |
Accuracy | 1.5 °C @ temperature of 0...35 °C |
Water film height | |
Principle | Optical |
Measuring range | 0 ... 6000 µm Max. WFH is only achieved with concrete underground. For asphalt, the maximum measurable water film height is smaller and depends on the distance to the ground. |
Unit | µm |
Resolution | 1 µm |
Accuracy | 10% |
Snow depth | up to 50 mm |
Ice Percentage | |
Measuring range | 0 ... 100 % |
Unit | % |
Resolution | 1% |
Friction | |
Measuring range | 0...1 |
Resolution | 0.01 |
MARWIS: What are the first steps to use MARWIS?
In this short movie our service expert Manuel Kreissig shows you the first steps to install and run the mobile road sensor MARWIS with your car.
To the MARWIS Tutorial: From installation to start-up
MARWIS CloudGate: How do I setup the MARWIS CloudGate box?
In a short tutorial our technician Manuel Kreissig shows you which first steps you have to take to setup the CloudGate box (SIM card insert and wiring).
MARWIS: How large is the measuring spot?
The measuring spot of the mobile sensor is approx. 10cm x 10cm in the specified distance. This applies to both the 1m and the 2m version.
If the distance deviates from this, the measuring spot becomes correspondingly larger (with larger distance) or smaller (with smaller distance).
However, it should also be noted that the area of the transmitter and the receiver move further and further apart, as the MARWIS "squints" a little.
COMMUNICATION: Is it planned that MARWIS supports other protocols besides UMB?
At the moment only the binary UMB-protocol is available. More protocols will follow.
COMMUNICATION: If we connect MARWIS to a RS-485 interface: what kind of equipment do we need to transfer the data? Do you offer a computer software as well?
The configuration and the read out of data are possible over the UMB-Config-Tool. Through the ViewMondo software from MICKS measurement network data from both mobile and stationary sensors can be combined, visualized (e.g. by thermal mapping) and saved.More software solutions will be available from system integrators.
COMMUNICATION: Is the sensor only compatible with an Apple or Android tablet or smartphone?
The sensor is technically compatible with all Bluetooth-enabled devices, which provide a virtual serial (COM-) port for communication. An Apple and an Android app are already designed and available. More software solutions will be developed through third-party suppliers in cooperation with Lufft.
COMMUNICATION: Measurement data are sent from the Apple/ Android device to a cloud. What kind of network is required - GSM, 3 G or LTE?
That depends on the measurement frequency. For a normal data transmission only a low GPRS bandwidth is required. A higher speed is useful for downloading the map display.
COMMUNICATION: How big is the data volume?
The data volume depends on the number of sensor values and the update interval. Plus the dial-up and the map display (download function). If the sensor is on continuous operation with one transmission per minute, the data volume is estimated by 100 MB per month. With every second transmission of the data amount, the data volume will reach 3.0 GB per month. This are only appraised values. They can vary depending on the mobile device and measurement frequency.
COMMUNICATION: The sensor measures 100 times per second. But the iPad shows only one value per second. Which measurement data are delivered every second and which could be generated in a 100 Hz rate as well?
For the calculation of the output measurement values, the internal collected measurands are watched for a certain adjustable time period and evaluated. For the weighting different presets can be chosen. On page 26 of the user manual a corresponding chart is shown. It is important, that the preset measuring rate match the query rate of the MARWIS, because the values change within this interval.
COMMUNICATION: One measurement output nomally is the result of several road centimeters. What does the output value within a measurement interval correspond to exactly - the minimum, maximum or average value? Can I also change the setting behind this?
The frequency of the measuring value output is adjustable between an intervall of 100 milliseconds and 5 seconds. Which measurement point is displayed within this interval exactly, can be adjusted by using the road condition model. The related settings are located in the senor devices list, which you can enter via the Bluetooth connection icon on the dashboard display of the MARWIS app. Here you can choose between 6 presets: AVG (default setting), Winter 1, Winter 2, Winter 3, Summer 1 and Summer 2. What the different settings mean exactly, you can find out in the MARWIS manual on page 25f. It is important, that the preset measuring rate match the query rate of the MARWIS, because the values change within this interval.
COMMUNICATION: With which interfaces MARWIS is equipped?
MARWIS is equipped with an RS485, a Bluetooth interface and a CAN bus allowing a variety of possible communication connections.
COMMUNICATION: How to check the connection status?
You can check the connection status with the service channels 4040 and 4041. It reads out the signal strength.
COMMUNICATION: The Bluetooth connection between the tablet/ smartphone and MARWIS can't be established
Due to the mechanical vehicle structure (metallic partition walls, length of the vehicle, etc.), the distance between the sensor and the output device (tablet or smartphone) can be too large for a stable Bluetooth connection. Therefore, please keep the distance as short as possible in order to avoid interferences.
SOFTWARE: What about data security (encryption)?
The data will be transmitted to the server by a binary protocol, so that there is no encryption between MARWIS and the iPad. The app on the iPhone/ iPad has no access to “critical” sections, only to GPRS, Bluetooth and the network.
SOFTWARE: What exactly does the data providing include? Can we use one data providing package for more than one MARWIS?
The Data Providing contains of the cloud-based ViewMondo software package. For this, you get an own ViewMondo password-protected account for your mobile and fixed measurement stations. The data will be stored on the Lufft server. With ViewMondo portal you can query, archieve and process the data. providing portal. Since this is associated with an expense incurred for each MARWIS, this offer cannot be transferred to several MARWIS. An annual data providing payment accrues for each MARWIS device. More info on the related Lufft Blog post.
SOFTWARE: How about the firmware updates? Do they run automatically?
New updates will be provided regularly on the Lufft website and can be installed on MARWIS with the UMB-Config-Tool or the iPad.
SOFTWARE: What functions does the iOS or Android app have, with which you can see/evaluate the MARWIS data?
The iOS/Android app includes road condition views on maps, shows all selected values like road temperature, friction, water film height, road condition etc., can adjust the sensor and transfers the data to a (ViewMondo) server.
SOFTWARE: Is there a help guide or a user manual for the iPad app?
A detailed descriptions of all features of the iPad app can be found at ios-help.lufft-marwis.com.
SOFTWARE: Is there another software besides ViewMondo to store and display the measurement data?
A few software options are already available by system partners like Applied Information, the telematic system from mm-lab. More solutions will follow.
SOFTWARE: Would the Marwis also give NTCIP data to enable the Data to be integrated into a system that is already in place?
MARWIS itself will not generate NTCIP output, but there are other possible conversion solutions (SmartView3, datalogger etc.).
SOFTWARE: On my mobile device (iPad, iPhone or Android), the GPS location is inaccurate - is there a way to improve this?
Yes, it is possible to connect your mobile device (iPad, iPhone, or Android) with an external GPS receiver to improve the accuracy of the GPS localization. For the iPad / iPhone we tested a model, which is attached directly to the iPad / iPhone connector and works very well (details: “Bad Elf” GPS Receiver for iPad and iPhone, costs about 150 euros).
SOFTWARE: How to perform a change of an Android device?
MARWIS is able to be connected to one mobile device only. After the first established Bluetooth connection, MARWIS tries to reconnect to the same Android device automatically. Therefore, the currently saved Android device needs to be changed. For this, first make sure that the Bluetooth interface of the previous MARWIS connection partner is disabled or out of reach. Also, check if a valid pairing between the new Bluetooth device and the MARWIS sensor consists (in the system settings of the Android device). To initiate the connection, open the MARWIS app. Then, open the list of available MARWIS through the device connection icon in the upper corner to the right. Please click on the MARWIS with which it needs to be paired. After a short time, the Bluetooth connection is established and the former connection partner in the MARWIS is overwritten.
SOFTWARE: How to perform a change of an Apple device?
MARWIS is able to be connected to one mobile device only. After the first established Bluetooth connection, MARWIS tries to reconnect to the same iOS device automatically. In order to change the iOS ouput device, please make sure that the former connection partner is out of reach or disabled. Afterwards, please check if the pairing between the new Bluetooth device and the MARWIS sensor consists. Then, go to settings –> Bluetooth –> other devices –> “MARWIS-UMB-XXXX.XXXX” and tap on the MARWIS to which the connection shall be esablished. Through this the Bluetooth connection will be esablished and the former MARWIS will be overwritten. Also in the MARWIS app the new sensor will be available.
HARDWARE: How often do I have to calibrate the equipment and how does this work (is it necessary to send the sensor back to Lufft or can this be done by the users themselves on site?)
The TFF sensor should be changed once a year. You can also reorder and install it by yourself. The optics needs to be calibrated once per vehicle. This can be made via the Android/ iOS App in a few simple steps. The application also allows to store different calibration profiles for different vehicles. Therefore you don’t have to calibrate the optics with every vehicle change. However we recommend a calibration interval of every 3 months.
HARDWARE: Is the TFF sensor is a standard part? If the temperature / humidity data are not needed, would it be possible to provide MARWIS without these sensors? Can we order them as replacement parts and replace them by ourselves?
MARWIS is equipped with a combined temperature-humidity-sensor. It is included in the delivery. The sensor should be changed once a year, to provide an exact as possible capture of temperature and humidity. This can be done by the user on site.
HARDWARE: Does MARWIS have any kind of memory for saving data in case of a power failure?
The data are not saved, but the configuration will survive.
HARDWARE: What happens if there’s no network connection available, will the data be saved in the Apple/ Android tablet/ smartphone? If yes, how long?
When the Bluetooth connection between MARWIS and mobile output device is interrupted, no data will be saved. If the connection between the output device and the server is interrupted, the app saves the data and transfers them with the next connection to the server. The duration of the saving depends on the storage capacity of the main storage. Normally the main storage is about 2 GB, which is enough for several hours.
HARDWARE: Is the GPS position determined by the MARWIS or by the iPad?
The GPS position will be determined by the smartphone or tablet.
HARDWARE: Which parameters are measured by MARWIS?
MARWIS measures the following data:Dew point temperature, road surface temperature, relative humidity over the road surface, water film height and road condition (dry, wet, moist, frozen, snow/ice, critical wetness)
HARDWARE: What exactly means the value “relative humidity above the road surface”? Why doesn’t MARWIS measure the relative humidity in the ambient air?
The relative humidity close to the street behaves differently from the one in the ambient air and represents a more exact picture of the actual road weather conditions (micro climate). For instance the question when white frost arises can be answered better with this value. With MARIW 2.0 the relative humidity in the ambient air can be determined as well.
The dew point temperature is the temperature, at which water steam in form of dew or fog separates from wet air. At the dew point the relative humidity counts 100 percent respectively it means that the air is (just) saturated. The dew point temperature for MARWIS is independent from the relative humidity directly above the road surface. This is why it delivers more important data for the road safety than the air temperature.
HARDWARE: Why does the status LED of MARWIS not switch from yellow (not totally heated up) to green (optimal temperature) in case of extreme cold outdoor temperature even after a long operation time?
The cigarette lighter of a normal passenger car has a voltage of 12 Voltage. But in order to reach the maximum heating requirement of the MARWIS 24 Volts are required. If your MARWIS often runs with a yellow status LED continuously, we recommend a DC / DC converter such as the Samlex Step Up Converter Step 7 (price about 100 $ on Amazon).
HARDWARE: How to adjust the pyrometer temperature measurement again?
The pyrometer measurement is never adjusted automatically, only manually. Therefore an offset for the pyrometer can be configured in the sensor settings. Precondition is an installed sensor firmware version from 1.8 on and an iOS app version from 1.5 on. Please measure the road temperature with a reliable reference instrument at the same spot, after MARWIS has been running for at least 10 minutes and the LED have switched to green already. Then, adjust the temperature measurement in the setting menu. For this, the –/-/+/++ buttons must be pushed until the wished temperature is reached (after pushing the buttons wait until the pyrometer is updated with the new emission level). Sensor configuration description on iOS app help as well as on the Android App help website.
HARDWARE: What do I have to do if I want to use MARWIS with CAN bus?
Since firmware version 23 MARWIS can be used with CAN-BUS on default.
HARDWARE: Which Android tablet do you recommend for MARWIS?
In principle, you have the free choice of the Android tablet. However, it is recommended that it has a 8-inch display size maximally in order to avoid an interference with the street view, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 (7.0, LTE). Also, it only works with the Android version 4.1 or newer. For the use with ViewMondo, MARWIS requires an UMTS/ LTE (international 3G / 4G) sim card.
HARDWARE: MARWIS in use with iPAD: how to avoid an automatic display switch-off?
Generally the display must never be switched off for the guaranteed data transfer and the app must be running in the foreground. In case the vehicle is at a standstill for a while, the data acquisition is turned off by default after 10 minutes. In the device settings, this time can be extended to 2 hours for stationary operation. In display mode, the standard charger is not sufficient for charging. We recommend to e.g. use the Belkin car charger (2.4 Amp/ 12 Watt). Then the battery of the iPad is also loaded when the display is always switched on.
MOUNTING: Could you please tell us all possible locations where the MARWIS can be mounted?
At road salt vehicles and trucks, MARWIS can be installed sideways downwards (one-meter version). At cars, the sensor will be installed on the roof with the help of a magnet frame backwards (two-meters version).
MOUNTING: How high should the MARWIS be mounted above the ground with the purpose to achieve the best results? Is there a tolerance regarding the mounting height (distance to road surface) in order to achieve the correct measuring data?
The closer MARWIS is installed within a special area, the better are the measurement results. (one and two meters versions).
Tolerance limit for one-meter version: 0,75 – 1,25 m
Tolerance limit for two-meters version: 1,7 – 2,3 m
There are two versions: MARWIS for two meters distances and MARWIS for one-meter distances. The version with one-meter distance is more suitable for road salt vehicles and trucks. The two meters version is optimal for cars. The distance refers to the hypotenuse of the triangle (measuring axis), in which the sensor will be installed (distance between MARWIS glass plate and ground; the measuring axis lies up in the right angle on the glass plate).
MOUNTING: There are two types of carriers for MARWIS (long and short). Are both brackets applicable for all types of vehicles (cars and trucks)?
heoretically, yes. But probably on big vehicles like trucks MARWIS will be installed sideways and on cars backwards on the roof. It is recommended to use the different devices for the according vehicles, in this occasion.
MOUNTING: Can the available MARWIS racks be attached to any kind of vehicle?
No, because the Lufft rack solutions are only suitable for determined kinds of vehicles: usual passenger cars (horizontal rack) and vans with metal doors (vertical rack). All other kinds of cars, not meeting the given car sizes and conditions need a special and individual solution. We highly recommend complying with the specifications regarding the vehicle mounting (in the right angle and the right distances) as explained in the user manual . Lufft assumes no liability for faultily mounted racks.
MOUNTING: How to mount the magnetic rack with the leash?
The following two technical drawings explain how the final installation needs to look like:
CONDITIONS: Does heavy road traffic have an impact on the measurement quality? Do these tight distances between vehicles affect the measurements both forwards and backwards?
MARWIS should be installed in a way that the measuring area is free (calculating with the triangle measure distance/ installation height). Besides that, a safety distance on the road with a radius of 0.3 meters around the measuring area should be provided to minimize optical spreading effects. As long as the measuring area is free, other traffic impacts at this part have no influence on the measurement.
CONDITIONS: Does the bracket require an E1 registration?
No, because the installation is same as a cargo securing.
CONDITIONS: Is the maximum speed 80 km/h in order to guarantee accurate measurements? Please let us know the optimum and maximum speed, so that the measurements remain the same.
80 km/h is not the maximum speed. The faster the speed is the bigger is the distance between each measuring point. MARWIS is not tested by Lufft on a speed over 85 km/h. Users of the sensor should collect own experience on their operation scenario.
CONDITIONS: Do MARWIS racks used on airports require specific certificates such as the ICAO or FAA?
No, there aren’t any additional certificates needed, because MARWIS is mounted on the car directly and there are no changes of the airport infrastructure needed.
CONDITIONS: What do I have to consider, if I want to calibrate and adjust MARWIS with my tablet/ smartphone?
In the adaptation the basic settings are defined which are determined by the nature of the surface, the measured angle and the exact measuring distance between MARWIS-UMB and the road surface. First of all, the measuring distance between the sensor and the road has to be within the tolerance. The road surface should be representative for the area in which the MARWIS-UMB will be used. The ambient temperature should be lower than 20°C but not below 9°C. The adaptation must not be performed in artificial light.
CONDITIONS: Do we have a certification for MARWIS e.g. from TÜV?
MARWIS has passed the following TÜV tests successfully: EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility), vibration, shock, IP69 and eye safety.
CONDITIONS: How do I perform a reference measurement with MARWIS' temperature sensor?
Please note the following:
– The accuracy of MARWIS is 0.8K (Kelvin) at 0 ° C
– The accuracy of the reference equipment shall be taken into account
– In case the MARWIS is mounted close to the vehicle’s exhaust pipe, the measurement can be interfered by gases
– Since the MARWIS measures contact-less, the reference device also needs to be contact-less, so that a comparison is possible
– Thermo-elements are no suitable reference instruments
– MARWIS’ measurement spot has a diameter of 20 cm for the one meter version and a 40 cm diameter for the 2m version. In this area, the temperature is averaged. If the reference device has another spot diameter on the ground, it delivers different results.
– Both MARWIS and the reference instrument must be in a thermal equilibrium, so that the temperature measurement is running properly. The MARWIS warmup takes about 10-15min.
– The road should be in a thermal equilibrium as well, thus, there shouldn’t prevail wind, direct sunlight, etc.