Key personnel
With 30+ years’ experience in asset-management innovation, Brian established Survai Systems to bring cutting-edge, end-to-end survey platforms to local councils across Australasia. Over his career he’s partnered with 50+ organisations—ranging from regional road authorities to NSW government departments—to deliver best-practice outcomes in everything from LiDAR-driven rut-depth analysis to AI-based defect detection.
A lifelong technologist at heart, Brian architects every Survai solution around a blend of robust hardware and clean, .NET-powered software. He led the development of both Desktop Survai and Mobile Survai, integrating 2D LiDAR sensors, GNSS/accelerometer arrays, GIS mapping controls and real-time image processing (Emgu CV & OpenTK) into one seamless workflow.
Under Brian’s leadership, R&D is more than a department—it’s the company ethos. He’s personally overseen hardware-software prototypes, SQL architectures for massive LiDAR datasets, and custom WinForms UIs that keep field teams focused on data, not distractions. His commitment? Empower councils to make safer, smarter, more cost-effective road and asset decisions—every day.
When he steps away from the code, Brian finds balance through mindfulness and time on Queensland’s coast. It’s that clarity of mind—and unwavering focus on detail—that fuels Survai Systems’ mission to redefine road surveying for the modern era.
With over 30 years of hands-on software engineering experience, Michael brings a rare depth and breadth of technical knowledge to Survai Systems. His career spans enterprise systems, embedded hardware, and 3D graphics, with contributions ranging from university LMS platforms and government reporting tools to secure cryptographic systems and commercial game engines.
Before joining Survai, Michael served as a senior Java developer across major Australian universities and tech firms, architecting complex platforms like Griffith University’s ePrints system and QUT’s Open Web Lecture (OWL). At Cellnet, he led the development of the company’s flagship retailer portal and integrations with platforms like Azure and Mirakl, while simultaneously redeveloping warehouse tools and public e-commerce sites from the ground up.
A polyglot coder fluent in everything from JEE and C++ to Assembly and VB, Michael doesn’t just write code—he builds ecosystems. His past roles have seen him reverse-engineer proprietary APIs, develop distributed load-testing frameworks, design 3D OpenGL-based kiosk interfaces, and optimize SQL-heavy applications for real-world performance.
When he’s not solving architectural puzzles or exploring new toolchains, Michael’s likely designing robotics in his home lab—crafting CNC controllers and servo systems from the circuit board up. This precision and experimentation is what fuels his work at Survai, where he helps push the boundaries of what’s possible in real-time, for field-ready asset management solutions.
Media
Testimonials
"I've used Survai Systems on a number of projects now from Disaster Recovery work in NSW to Council road revaluations and also a few private development dilapidation surveys. It’s a solid system that gets the job done without being over-complicated or requiring massive amounts of data storage like some of the bigger-name setups.
Right from the start, the support has been top-notch. Brian, the developer, gave me field training over a few days, and was always just a phone call away. Even remotely logging into my laptop to help me late one evening so I didn’t miss any daylight hours the next day! This above and beyond support makes a real difference when you’re on a tight timeline to get a job done.
The hardware setup is simple but effective: a high-definition camera, roughness meter, and laser profilometer all mounted with just a roof bar and a few cables, so it’s easy to fit depending on which vehicle I had each week. The Desktop Survai software is straightforward to use and makes it easy to jump between clients or roads, with everything stored securely in the cloud.
Logging defects is simple, with custom lists and severity levels, and you can even tie it to cost estimates to help produce works programs. One of the most useful tools for me has been the photo watermarking feature, every photo is stamped with a roughness graph, a location map, and all the key details (road name, coordinates, defect info, date, etc.), which makes it much easier when it comes time to package up reports or submissions.
I also found the network analysis tool really handy, especially for bigger networks. It gives you a clear visual of where the worst areas are so you can prioritise your efforts, instead of getting bogged down in the data.
Overall, Survai Systems has been reliable, flexible, and easy to work with! A great fit for road surveys whether you’re covering 5 km or 5,000 km."
Stuart Dearden
Senior Project Manager
Projence
"Central to the many benefits of using Brian Wood and the team at Survai Systems is the simplicity and usability of the data, not just the production of massive amounts of data for data's sake. For example, basic Shapefile outputs and clear tables in MS Excel, led to very easy integration with other existing systems, as best suited our needs and that of many of our clients. Survai Systems were easy to work with and keen to customise tools to improve efficiencies as and when required. There was great support provided throughout the projects undertaken, in a true collaborative manner."
Dion Killiby
Ex Managing Director and Founder of
Western Project Services (WPS)
"Knowing and working closely with Brian during my time in Shepherd, for over a decade, was a privilege. Brian excelled in system coding development, hardware development, electronics, GIS, and data integration. His practical approach, combined with life skills, enabled him to effectively tackle complex problems, whether they involved coding or hardware solutions. Brian's ability to solve intricate issues highlighted his versatility and innovative thinking.
I always found Brian to be hardworking and pursued continuous improvement, welcoming feedback from both internal sources and customers to enhance his work. Brian is a very down-to-earth person and is unassuming, making all feel comfortable around him. However, I found the value he brought to projects and the team was truly outstanding.
I highly recommend Brian for any role that can leverage his extensive skills and experience."
Darren Shepherd
Founder/Director
UnsealedRoads.com
"This is a system that I would highly recommend to all road - sealed and unsealed - maintenance organizations for the information that can be gathered at up to 100 kmh. The current method of collecting data involves traffic control, manually placing a straight edge and recording the deformation is eliminated as all the information - depth, width and length- of rutting and wheel tracking is captured using LiDAR along with the roughness value and photos every 10m along the road being surveyed. This also reduces the amount of time and people involved in the gathering and processing of the data and vastly improves the safety aspect of the gathering of the data - nobody actually on the road. All of this is repeatable after maintenance has been completed as a compliance check as part of a maintenance contract.
As this system develops and other uses and ideas become known, Brian has always been ready to adapt and incorporate new ideas and suggestions into what he has developed with this asset management tool."
Col Gorman
ex Project Manager
RoadTek
