Saturday, April 4, 2015

Meeting #5 Announcement - Locating Intrusions Using Fiber Optics

Update: A meeting recap.

EAST Knowledge is excited to announce it's fifth meeting. Jim Rulla will be giving a talk about how fiber optics can be used as sensors for locating intrusions. Come and learn something new! Come and share what you know! All are welcome!

What:Locating Intrusions Using Fiber Optics
Who:Jim Rulla
Where:The Story Room at the Gresham Library (map)
When:10:30am-Noon, Saturday, April 18th, 2015
Why:Sharing what we know

Interferometers measure distances to within fractions of the wavelength of light. Put a couple of these incredibly sensitive devices on the fence around an airport, and you can not merely detect a would-be intruder — you can locate him. Put a pair on a pipeline, and you can not merely detect nearby digging that could damage the pipe — you can locate its source. You might even be able to detect — and perhaps even locate — leaks in the pipe.

The detection and location mechanisms are fascinating examples of clever engineering. I'll explain how these patented systems work and illustrate new algorithms that improve performance.