Project turns fibre optic cables into environmental sensors
European scientists are building an environmental sensing network by adding light-based sensors to underground internet cables.
The new €3.5m GASPOF (Pervasive Gas Sensing Using Optical Fibres) project, funded by the European Commission and supported by the Photonics Partnership, is set to address challenges such as urban air pollution and industrial safety to early warnings of natural disasters.
Certain fibre-optic cables can detect physical changes like heat or tremors passing through them, but they have not been able to sense chemical changes in the environment accurately and at the scale and that GASPOF aims to achieve.
GASPOF will address this by integrating advanced optical spectroscopy with new sensing nodes, enabling real-time gas detection and environmental monitoring without interrupting the data traffic these cables already carry.
In a statement, project coordinator Alessandro Giusti said: “Imagine a city’s fibre backbone not just moving data, but constantly checking the air we breathe, the safety of industrial zones, and even the emissions from distant volcanoes. With GASPOF, we’re using what’s already in the ground to turn existing telecom networks into smart, pervasive environmental guardians.
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