Imagine the internet cables on the ocean floor acting like a giant nervous system for the planet. Instead of just carrying data, these cables can feel vibrations and changes in light to detect earthquakes or ocean currents. This project turns standard telecom lines into a massive, permanent sensing network without needing to lay new cables.
Deploying dedicated undersea sensors is prohibitively expensive and difficult to maintain. Current monitoring is often fragmented into isolated experiments with restricted data access.
A standardized architecture and instruments that turn live telecom fibers into sensors using DAS and SoP technologies. This includes a data pipeline integrated with European data platforms.
If you are a cable operator dealing with high costs of dedicated monitoring hardware — this project developed a way to use existing live telecom fibers for sensing. This allows you to offer new data services to governments and researchers using the same infrastructure. It reduces the need for expensive dedicated submarine fibers.
If you are a public body dealing with slow tsunami or earthquake alerts — this project developed a standardized system for continuous ocean-bottom monitoring. This provides high-quality data for early warning systems. It leverages a network across 15 countries to improve safety.
If you are a cable manufacturer dealing with imprecise sensor calibration — this project developed new methods for industrial sensor calibration. This leads to better submarine cable designs. It uses real-world data from three geographically diverse locations.
The project demonstrates cost-efficient use of existing telecommunications infrastructure instead of laying dedicated submarine fibers. This removes the need for expensive new cable deployments for research purposes.
Yes, the project is installing standardized instruments in at least three geographically diverse locations. It involves partners from 15 countries across Europe and the Americas.
Based on available project data, the project follows open science principles and generates large-scale datasets accessible through European platforms like EOSC and Copernicus.
The system integrates with NREN and EPOS infrastructures and the Copernicus Marine service. It uses a unified architecture to combine DAS and SoP techniques into a single system.
The project period runs from 2023-05-01 to 2026-04-30.
The consortium is heavily weighted toward research (13 partners) and universities (6 partners), but includes 4 industrial partners and 3 SMEs. With a 13% industry ratio, the project is primarily research-driven but has enough commercial presence to ensure the developed tools are compatible with real-world telecom infrastructure across 15 countries.
Contact the European Future Innovation System Centre in Belgium
Contact us to connect with the SUBMERSE industrial partners for sensor integration.
