Reliable Utility Monitoring with Fiber Optic Sensing

The reliable operation of underground utilities is critical for modern urban infrastructure. As cities expand,
buried power cables, pipelines, and critical utility corridors face growing risks, especially from
construction-related activities, the leading cause of Third-Party Intrusion (TPI) events. Distributed
Acoustic Sensing (DAS) leverages existing optical fiber networks to provide a continuous, cost-effective,
and real-time monitoring solution without the need for additional sensors. By leveraging the fiber already in the ground this approach provides an improvement of situational awareness across large utility networks.

In this presentation, we introduce a DAS system enhanced with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) for accurate TPI classification and a significant reduction of spurious alarms. Results from urban field case studies will be presented, demonstrating reliable identification of activities such as cutting concrete, jackhammers, and drilling, while distinguishing them from non-threat events
like vehicle traffic or soil compaction.

Real-time cable fault detection reduces downtime and maintenance efforts, while pipeline leak detection with advanced
algorithms provide early-warning capabilities. The results demonstrate that fiber optic sensing, combined with AI-driven analytics, delivers a field-proven and scalable solution for underground utility
monitoring strengthening protection against third-party damage, empowering operators to manage their assets with
greater confidence and reliability.