Sensing & Monitoring – Structural Health Monitoring for Critical Infrastructure
Structures age, loads change, and the environment is unpredictable. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) provides the continuous, data-driven intelligence that asset owners and engineers need to understand how their structures are performing in real life – not just on paper.
DIC’s sensing and monitoring expertise spans the full SHM workflow: sensor system design, data acquisition, AI-based damage detection, signal processing, structural modelling, and cloud-based visualisation through the CloudMATE® platform. We work on buildings, bridges, dams, tunnels, maritime structures, and industrial facilities – from single-asset deployments to multi-structure portfolio monitoring.
Structural Health Monitoring System Design
Every structure has unique geometry, load conditions, and monitoring requirements. DIC designs SHM systems from the ground up – selecting appropriate sensor types (accelerometers, strain gauges, inclinometers, GNSS, fibre optics), determining optimal placement, and specifying data acquisition architectures for both long-term continuous monitoring and short-period diagnostic campaigns.
AI-Powered Damage Detection
Raw sensor data alone does not identify damage – intelligent algorithms do. DIC develops machine learning and deep learning algorithms that classify structural behaviour in both the time and frequency domains, flagging anomalies and quantifying damage levels with far greater speed and consistency than manual inspection. Our algorithms are trained on real structural data and validated through active research projects.
Signal Processing & De-noising
Real-world sensor data is contaminated by noise from traffic, wind, temperature effects, and electromagnetic interference. DIC designs advanced signal processing algorithms that isolate true structural response from environmental noise, ensuring that the data presented to engineers and asset managers is accurate and meaningful.
Structural Performance Modelling
DIC combines Finite Element Modelling (FEM) with data-driven machine learning to create computational models that reflect the actual condition of a structure, updated continuously as new monitoring data arrives. These models support nonlinear dynamic analysis, control system design, and life cycle performance prediction.
Control Systems for Structural Resilience
For high-value or high-risk structures – tall buildings, major bridges, critical infrastructure – DIC designs and simulates structural control systems that actively mitigate the effects of extreme loads such as seismic events, high winds, or impact. We work with passive, active, semi-active, and hybrid control approaches, including lead-rubber bearing isolation systems.
Satellite & InSAR Monitoring
For large-scale or remote assets, DIC integrates satellite Interferometric SAR (InSAR) data with ground-based sensors – enabling millimetre-level deformation monitoring across wide areas without physical sensor access. This capability was explored in collaboration with Telespazio UK and is particularly relevant for infrastructure portfolios in regions with challenging access conditions.
Image Source https://britgeopeople.blogspot.com/2017/01/assessing-ground-motion-from-spaceby.html
Related Products
CloudMATE® – SHM in the Cloud All of DIC’s sensing and monitoring expertise is accessible through the CloudMATE® platform: a cloud-based digital twin environment that aggregates sensor data, runs AI analysis, and provides real-time dashboards accessible anywhere via a web browser. CloudMATE® is the delivery mechanism that turns DIC’s research-grade algorithms into operational tools for engineers and asset owners.
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Whether you manage a single critical asset or a portfolio of infrastructure projects, CloudMATE® gives you the tools to monitor, understand, and protect your structures with confidence.
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