In December, the Fibre Sensing Task of the GÉANT (GN5-2) Project, with support from SURF, the Dutch National Research and Education Network (NREN), carried out an hour-long experiment using Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS).
During the experiment, a laser signal was injected into the same optical fibre that carries live internet traffic. This effectively turned the fibre optic cable into a sensor, capable of detecting a wide range of real-world signals, from earthquakes and other geophysical phenomena to cars, trams, and, as shown in this experiment, aircraft.
Watch the video below to see Chris Atherton, Senior Research Engagement Manager at GÉANT, walk through the experiment’s data and explain why a distinct signal observed in the measurements is believed to correspond to a plane landing at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
(Credits: Live flight tracking data shown in the video is courtesy of Flightradar24. For more information, please visit Flightradar24.com)
Inside the experiment: key facts, learnings, opportunities
- The experiment ran for a little over one hour
- During that time, more than 160 GB of data was generated
- The data covers approximately 57 km of optical fibre between Amsterdam and Zandvoort, part of the GÉANT backbone network in the Netherlands
- This translates to a sensing point of roughly every 5–10 metres along the cable
What makes this experiment particularly significant is that the signal was injected into the same fibre used for operational internet traffic. Traditionally, such experiments are carried out on a dedicated, separate fibre. By contrast, this approach shows that existing backbone infrastructure can be used for more than just sending and receiving data. It can also be used to generate data, opening up new possibilities across GÉANT’s backbone network in Europe.
Next steps
More experiments are planned with partners at SURF, using different parts of the backbone network in the Netherlands, including submarine sections. These will help gather additional data and explore further use cases.
There are also plans to run the technology for much longer periods, not just for an hour, but potentially for several days or even weeks. This will allow the team to definitively demonstrate that DAS can operate alongside live internet traffic without impacting network performance, over a sustained period of time.
If you’d like to learn more about fibre sensing and get involved in this growing and innovative area, get in touch with the Fibre Sensing Task at fibre-sensing@lists.geant.org
