Continuous Distributed fiber optic strain and temperature DFOS measurements are running, 147 m below ground in Freiberg’s mine Reiche Zeche.
Thank you to TU Bergakademie Freiberg and Technische Universität Clausthal for the excellent collaboration in the MOVIE project. The project (funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research), aims to develop a digital twin of part of an underground mine.
A paper authored by Michael Martin, Nils Nöther and Jens-André Paffenholz may be found here
Mine monitoring projects demand:
- precise and early detection of geotechnical events
- safety criticality assessment
- surveillance of long linear structures
- operation in challenging environments
- measurement and location accuracy and reliability.
All users have cloud-based access to the continuous data.
Movable defence barriers help control water flow during floods. Knowing where displacement occurs before failure by measuring strain as the water gushes past enables a smarter design. Weight and structure can be optimised to ensure effective flow control.
The project is managed by Delft University of Technology.
Time flies! It’s already two years since the British Geotechnical Association (BGA) Geo-resilience conference we attended in Cardiff.
This year, the theme is Earthworks. fibrisTerre will be there, with a stand. So, come and say ‘Hello!’
Abstract submissions for the conference have been submitted under the following primary themes:
*Design of modern earthworks
*Behaviour of engineered geo-materials
*Specification of earthworks and contract documentation
*Compaction and testing methods
*Treatment and stabilisation of earthworks
*Monitoring of earthworks and risk management
*Advances in plant and earthworks construction technology
*The impact of earthworks on society
*Case histories and the use of earthwork trials
*Building resilient and sustainable earthworks
fibrisTerre is delighted to sponsor the International Conference on Structural Health Monitoring of Intelligent Infrastructure of the Society for Civil Structural Health Monitoring (SCSHM, formerly ISHMII)
In Graz, Austria, from Sept. 1 – Sept. 5 2025 .
The event provides a platform for international scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, researchers, experts of public agencies, infrastructure owners, and technical associations to discuss recent advances in structural health monitoring (SHM) of intelligent infrastructure and to explore the potential for international cooperation.
Topics include: innovative ideas on the state-of-the-art, state-of-the-practice and future trends of smart sensors, advanced sensor networks, signal processing and real-time data management, structural health diagnosis and prognosis, and life-cycle performance assessment for structural health monitoring of all types of civil infrastructure, including bridges, water dams, tunnels, retaining walls, road and railway networks, high rise buildings etc.
Congratulations to the well-deserving winners of the Ground Engineering Magazine Awards in June.
fibrisTerre wasn’t among them. So why are we happy?
Four reasons:
1. We celebrated a great collaboration with Network Rail and Senceive, tackling the challenge of rapidly detecting and locating rockfall along transport routes.
Huge thanks to the project team: Derek Butcher, Massimo Facchini, Bridie Grimes, Dom Kisz, Nils Nöther and James Taylor for their unwavering engagement!
2. We made and renewed valuable connections — even if we didn’t manage to see everyone we hoped to (900 attendees is a big crowd!).
3. We showcased the power of distributed fiber optic sensing and its relevance across industries.
4. We have an incredible team in Berlin, and elsewhere. Thank you for making fibrisTerre what it is.
Here’s to continuing the journey — and to future wins of all kinds.
Thank you to Network Rail for funding and leading the project, Geobrugg for finding the site, and Toggenburger Unternehmungen for access to their facilities.
fibrisTerre took part in the 5 × 5 TEAM STAFFEL in its hometown of Berlin.
The team achieved a commendable average running speed of 0.00278 km/second.
So, we didn’t quite achieve the measurement speed of our instruments.
Congratulations to our running and support teams!
A quick glimpse of the day:
fibrisTerre is delighted to be a Sponsor of the 11 th International Course on Geotechnical and Structural Monitoring in Poppi starting June 23.
The lessons will cover the design of a monitoring program, monitoring sensors and system installation, data acquisition and management, and the process of translating data into actionable information.
The event also includes group work on various topics (e.g., dams, linear infrastructures, natural hazards) and a visit to the experimental and permanent monitoring site for the Poggio Baldi landslide, one of the largest rock and debris landslides in the Emilia-Romagna Apennines.
This bridge has it all! An infrastructure asset owner’s dream, all packed into 45 m and 4.5 m wide, managed by scientists.
It is the brainchild of the Infrastructure Data Analysis with Artificial Intelligence (IDA-KI) research project, which aims to develop methods for the automated analysis and evaluation of monitoring data.
The bridge has a rail-guided load vehicle. Hydraulic presses and a load traverse apply force for static load tests. Thanks to a ‘shaker’ mechanism, its dynamic structural behavior in different frequency ranges can be investigated.
Let’s talk monitoring: air temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, and precipitation are recorded. There are strain gauges, inductive displacement transducers, an accelerator sensor, and Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS).
About 1.5 km of sensing fibers are installed in the pre-cast elements and in situ. They record strain and temperature, providing ‘the nerves of the structure’.
The high-frequency monitoring data is incorporated into the associated BIM model.
Real-time visualization of both raw sensor readings and aggregated system status are available via a browser. Threshold-based alarms can be automatically triggered to flag anomalies or critical conditions.
The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport (BMDV) as part of the mFUND research initiative.
Find out more here from the TU Dresden Institute of Concrete Structures
fibrisTerre collaborated with Network Rail and Senceive in the U.K. to provide event detection and location for a robust, comprehensive automated rockfall warning solution.
fibrisTerre’s distributed fiber optic sensing system, integrated into a catch fence, provides rapid detection and location of rockfall events, and can monitor over many kilometers. Initial tests were completed in Switzerland.
The benefits of detecting and locating rockfall remotely, in real time, allow for rapid mitigation. For example, knowing the exact location of the event, response crews can be dispatched precisely where they are needed, ensuring a swift and efficient response.
The system is shortlisted in the Award for Equipment Innovation category.
Initial lessons learned, key challenges, and how these were overcome on a first-of-a-kind project to monitor both piles and connecting rafts over at least two years:
“If you cannot measure, you cannot improve. Learning from real-time monitoring of piled raft foundations in a deep basement in London”
will be presented during Ground Engineering Magazine’s Basements and Underground Structures event on October 3 by:
*Dr. Dimitrios Selemetas, Technical Director, AKT II,
*Will Argent Geotechnical Design Engineer, AKT II,
*Adrian Bywaters Operations Director-Engineering, Mace and
*Dr. Nicky de Battista, Director, Epsimon Ltd.
The Conference is colocated with Smart Geotechnics.
Conference link
