Projects and collaborations

Submarine cables for marine biology

Together with GÉANT, Wageningen Marine Research (WMR) and Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), we are working on applying Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) to a submarine cable from Zandvoort (NL) to Leiston (UK).

This trial focuses on the use of fiber sensing for marine biological research in the North Sea. Visit the SUBMERSE website for more information, and take a look at the video below to learn more about the project.

Seismic research into geothermal energy

The large-scale seismic survey of the Amsterdam metropolitan region is collecting detailed data on the subsurface, which is needed for the development of geothermal energy as a sustainable resource. The seismic survey will be conducted by SCAN (Seismic Campaign Geothermal Netherlands) and will start in autumn 2025.

In this project, SURF is collaborating with TNO, which is conducting seismological research. We are providing fiber-optic cables and colocation in Amsterdam. Through this collaboration, we exchange knowledge on fiber-optic infrastructure and fiber sensing techniques.

Fiber sensing experiment on GÉANT network detects a plane landing at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

 GÉANT, with support from SURF, carried out an hour-long experiment using Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) as part of the fiber sensing Task of the GÉANT (GN5-2) Project.

During the experiment, a laser signal was injected into the same optical fiber that carries live internet traffic. This effectively turned the fiber 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.

In the video below, Chris Atherton, Senior Research Engagement Manager at GÉANT, walks through the experiment’s data and explains why a distinct signal observed in the measurements is believed to correspond to a plane landing at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

Live flight tracking data shown in the video is courtesy of Flightradar24. For more information, please visit flightradar24.com

Next steps 

More experiments are planned, using different parts of the backbone network in the Netherlands, including submarine sections. These will help gather additional data and explore further use cases.