AP Sensing is an innovation driver when it comes to smart solutions and high performing technology.
Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS) is a state-of-the-art technology that is used in various industries with its ability to provide real-time, continuous monitoring of critical infrastructure over long distances. Advancements in AI, machine learning, and SaaS (software as a service) are playing an important role in maximizing the potential of DFOS systems.
Harvesting these advancements allows us to offer our software solutions based on a set of software technologies that form a fully secure connected asset platform. Such a platform provides a solution for delivering actionable insights as a service across a wide range of applications.
Connected Asset Platform
DFOS systems generate massive amounts of complex data related to the assets they monitor. Software solutions and machine learning algorithms help process this data, identify patterns, and extract valuable insights that may otherwise be missed. This enables real-time event detection, predictive maintenance, and improved decision-making.
A connected asset platform provides a full end-to-end solution for securely managing assets at scale.
It consists of two major parts:
- The Edge Platform—This part of the software solution stack runs on-premises independently from any off-premises components. It optionally provides connectivity to the cloud platform.
- The Cloud Platform—This optional extension provides software updates and offers new capabilities while also providing a global asset view across multiple sites.
The data integration layer integrates sensor data, most importantly DFOS data, and other data sources while providing alarms, event and streams of asset insights to data sinks such as on-premises SCADA systems or mobile apps. Read more about SmartVision
The Edge View is the on-premises user interface for all functionalities of the deployed solution while the Global View provides the user interface across all assets of a customer.
Read more about SmartVision—alarm management
Read more about PLATO-DTS
The app engine executes AI, analytical and fusion apps which create actionable insights based on connected sensors and data sources. Depending on available connectivity and computing power it can be executed on-premises or in the cloud.
The edge storage keeps data such as measurement data on-premises while the data lakehouse in the cloud manages historic data that is used to train improved and support development of new AI models that can be deployed to the cloud platform or delivered to the edge platform.
The edge gateway provides connectivity between edge platforms and cloud platform.
AP Sensing is using its DFOS connected asset platform for continuous learning from petabytes of data by applying innovative AI and machine learning technologies that keep assets safe and their monitoring infrastructure secure.
Such a platform is built on state-of-the-art technologies and adheres to industry standards, offering flexible hosting options to suit your needs. It supports self-managed deployments, on-premises, in private, or public clouds, or fully managed as a hybrid software as a service (SaaS) solution.
With our connected asset platform, we offer sensing as a service and actionable insights as a service enabling flexible and quick scaling to a large number of infrastructures at lower costs and continuous protection against vulnerabilities and threats.
AP Sensing’s Pattern Library
AI and Deep Learning for Continuous Learning on DFOS Data
AI, machine learning and deep learning is applied to fiber optic sensing and other data sources by harvesting AP Sensing’s extensive pattern library to create models that detect patterns and insights or make predictions.
Deep Neural Network
Artificial Neural Network Architecture
Deep neural networks mimic the human brain detecting underlying relationships and patterns hidden in the data. New datasets are added to the models so that they "learn" from the data sets become smarter by continuously providing more diverse and accurate insights. The models provide capabilities that range from being able to track trains for an entire journey to detecting a third part intrusion event such as machine digging.
AP Sensing’s App Engine Creates Actionable Insights On-Premises or in the Cloud
AP Sensings app engine delivers actionable insights through a robust architecture that operates seamlessly with your existing infrastructure. It can be configured to execute multiple apps, including analytical, AI, and fusion modules that work in parallel as integral components of our Connected Platform solutions:
- RTTR —real time thermal rating/DCR—dynamic cable rating
- DoBS & qDoBS— Depth of Burial State and quantitative Depth of Burial
- eDTS— enhanced Distributed Temperature Sensing
- MLTA— machine learning transient alarm
- TPI—third party intrusion
- CFL—cable fault locator
- LD—leak detector
- LRD—landslide and rockfall detector
- TTC—train tracking and track condition module
- BBS—Below Balast Scan
Delphi App Engine
Keeps Your Asset Safe and in Optimal Working Condition
Our app engine collects measurements and other data from sources such as Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS), Distributed Temperature & Strain Sensing (DTSS), point sensors or other data services such as weather service, map services, etc. The APS Engine provides a modular runtime to fuse and analyze high volume data and event streams in real-time. The engine runs AP Sensing’s proprietary apps and is open to 3rd party modules, giving our partners the infrastructure and platform, they require. Custom data processing pipelines can be implemented using our SDK that is particularly optimized for running AI workloads. Modules can be deployed on on-premises IT infrastructure or in the cloud.
Events, alarms and processed data streams are integrated by APS data viewers, stored for later analysis and model training in the Data Lakehouse or by external customer systems providing a wide range of standard interfaces.
Flexible Deployment Options
The AP Sensing's engine and dedicated application modules can be flexibly deployed depending on customer needs. It is designed to run seamlessly across a wide range of environments, including DAS, industrial PCs (IPCs), data centers, virtualized infrastructures, and cloud-native platforms such as Kubernetes. This flexibility allows for consistent performance and scalability whether deployed on edge devices, private clouds, or public cloud ecosystems, ensuring a robust solution for any operational requirement.
In its simplest configuration the app engine runs on our DAS and integrates with your local IT.
For heavy computational workloads, the app engine can be deployed on an IPC or in your data center.
As a third option, the app engine can be hosted in the cloud and process low volume measurement data or integrate with any other data source that provides a cloud accessible API.
Finally, combinations of both on-premises hosted modules and cloud-hosted AI modules are possible. For instance, on-premises modules extract relevant features that represent the measurement data while cloud modules create actionable insights based on these measurement features.
AP Sensing’s Cloud Platform Keeps Your Sites Protected
AP Sensing’s cloud platform is an optional extension built on state-of-the-art cloud technologies. Our solution turns DFOS monitored assets into connected assets keeping your assets protected even when new threats arise. By being connected to AP Sensing’s cloud platform you benefit from continuous software updates that protect you both from new physical and cyber-physical threats. At the same time, you are able to view all your assets and sites in a single, web-based view.
How the Connected Asset Platform works
Our solution includes an edge gateway that provides connectivity for your assets.
If activated, the edge gateway communicates with the cloud platform over a secure connection using state-of-the-art and secure protocols.
This enables you to obtain continuous software updates including feature updates, bugfixes and security updates. You can optionally choose to share real-time data with the Cloud Platform so that you can access all your assets 24/7 anywhere from any device. If you choose to share data, you benefit from faster availability of new and improved AI, analytical and fusion application modules and AI models and forensic analysis of your data across sites.
AP Sensing’s Digital Twin Technology
FOS data is used to construct digital monitoring twins, a digital replica of physical assets such as power cables, pipelines, rail tracks, or telecom networks. They mirror the real-world counterpart in real-time through sensor data and other data sources, monitoring their status (e.g. the conductor temperature trace, (CTT) or threats by third party intrusion (TPI)) and predicting their future state (e.g. health state of a cable protection system or ampacity rating).
These digital twins are accessible in visual data analytics and management tools that enable users to explore and understand their assets based on DFOS and other data sources. These tools offer an intuitive user interface providing deeper insights and informed decision-making.
On-Premises
- Alarm Management
- Asset Management
- Real-Time Data Visualization
- Data and Device Management
Multi-Site Remote Access with Web and Mobile
The AP Sensing SaaS-based cloud platform enables remote asset monitoring and sensing system management from any location. This provides flexibility and allows for proactive monitoring and troubleshooting. Using modern and state-of-the-art web technologies and mobile apps for Android and iOS, assets across all sites can be accessed and monitored from any desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile device. Alarms and other events can be visualized in real-time, and data, assets, and devices can be managed remotely. All with highest security levels built in by design.
AP Sensing’s Data Lakehouse
Gain Insights on All Your Data
A data lakehouse is a data management architecture that combines the features of a data lake and a data warehouse. A data lake is a centralized repository scaling to petabytes of raw, often unstructured data. A data warehouse is a structured database optimized for processing and analyzing large volumes of organized data. A data lakehouse provides a versatile architecture allowing to process and analyze data and execute machine learning workloads in a highly scalable way.
AP Sensing’s data lakehouse is built on innovative technologies for securely managing large volumes of data generated by DFOS systems and other data sources. This enables AI models to learn on new data by improving existing models and offering new AI-based capabilities.
- Secure Data Management at Scale
Data is ingested from connected data sources such as DFOS Systems, AI module outputs as well as ground truth data. New data is securely registered and managed in the knowledge graph layer. This layer maintains all the knowledge about existing data sets and their relationships. Primary data, e.g. measurement data, is securely stored in distributed data stores optimized for efficient data access.
- Learn from New Data
Data in our Data Lakehouse is used for optimizing and training new AI models that can be deployed as updates to any AI application running in our app engine. Data remains secure and confidential but is essential for continuous improvements.
- Forensic Analysis
Data managed in the data lakehouse can also be visualized for forensic analytics or integrated in customer environments using provided APIs. Customers can benefit from AP Sensing combination of DFOS, application and data science expertise. Delivering deep insights into asset conditions and events.
Benefits
Cybersecure Operation
AP Sensing’s Solution platform ensures secure operation of your assets by using state-of-the art security technologies and security by design principles. With the optional SaaS-based cloud platform you receive continuous software updates and fixes protecting you from vulnerabilities.
Fast Updates Improve Monitoring and Prediction Capabilities
Assets insights as a service means you are in control: if you share measurement data with us you benefit from fast updates on currently deployed monitoring and prediction capabilities. Our machine learning infrastructure continuously learns from petabytes of data by applying cutting edge AI and machine learning. This leads to increasingly reliable insights and enabling the discovery of even more insights over time.
Remote Multi-Site Access
With the cloud platform option, you can access all your sites and assets anywhere, anytime from any device using modern and intuitive web and mobile applications. This enables cross-site data analysis.
Scalable Management
With the cloud platform option, you can manage your assets, data and DFOS measurement devices at scale. You are in control: choose what data is stored where (on-premises or in the cloud), control software updates and configure your devices at scale.
Open to Third-Party Vendors
Rather than being a closed system, we build on popular technologies such as OCI containers being open to third-party modules that can integrate sensors, data sources and AI analytics modules into the connected asset platform.
On-Premises Integration With Customer Operational Technology
See SmartVision.
Use Cases
A connected asset platform is the prime technology choice for DFOS based asset monitoring solutions that are concerned with scalable and secure operations or solutions that want to benefit from latest advancements in AI-based asset monitoring.
- Third party interference/intrusion (TPI) activities affecting power cables (onshore and offshore), pipelines, railways, and perimeter security
- Power cable condition monitoring and network optimization
- Power cable faults, hot spots, or abnormalities
- Power cable sheath current monitoring/fiber-based current monitoring
- Pipeline leaks
- Negative pressure waves (NPW) in pipelines
- Pipeline inspection gauge (PIG) tracking
- Well & reservoir monitoring
- Seismic profiling
- Large-scale structural health monitoring
- Railway monitoring
- Seismic wave detection
- Geological exploration
- Earthquake monitoring
- Energy exploration
- Further applications in the renewable energy sector
Key Takeaways
SaaS based DFOS solutions are revolutionizing the way DFOS measurements systems integrate with operational technologies. Connecting assets to the cloud provides the opportunity of managing DFOS installations at scale across multiple sites and assets. In addition, there is the benefit of frequent, controlled software updates and protection against vulnerabilities.
Advances in AI and Machine Learning offer new opportunities for better monitoring critical assets. With the APS Connected Asset Platform you can opt in to share data with us benefiting from accelerated development of AI models that provide you with a more complete and accurate view of your DFOS monitored assets.