Fiber optic sensor network for subsurface impact protection system

A method of protecting an underground asset using a subsurface impact protection system, the method comprising:

• providing a subsurface impact protection system below a surface of the ground and above the underground asset, wherein the subsurface impact protection system comprises:
• an elongate planar subsurface polymer layer buried above the underground asset, wherein the polymer layer comprises a protective mesh including a plurality of polymer strands in a woven pattern configured to absorb above-ground impact force from reaching the underground asset, wherein the polymer layer has a width that extends substantially a width of the underground asset and a thickness between a top surface of the planar polymer layer and a bottom surface of the planar polymer layer, and wherein the polymer layer is a separate structure from the underground asset, wherein the underground asset is one or more of a fluid pipeline and a fluid storage vessel;
• and
• a sensor network comprising:
• one or more optical sources,
• one or more optical detectors,
• optical fibers embedded within the thickness of the polymer layer, wherein the optical fibers are one or more of woven into the protective mesh and embedded within respective polymer strands of the protective mesh, each optical fiber among the optical fibers comprising:
• an input end coupled to an optical source among the one or more optical sources, wherein the optical source is configured to provide an optical input signal to the input end,
• an output end coupled to an optical detector among the one or more optical detectors, wherein the optical detector is configured to detect an output optical signal from the output end and measure a light property of the output optical signal, and
• a fiber-optic sensor provided between the input end and the output end, wherein the fiber optic sensor is configured to modulate the light property of the output optical signal relative to the light property of the input optical signal as a function of a condition at the fiber optic sensor, and
• wherein the optical detector is configured to generate a sensor signal based on the light property measured for the optical fiber and representing the condition at the fiber optic sensor;
• and
• monitoring the polymer layer using the sensor network, wherein the monitoring step comprises:
• generating, using the one or more optical detectors monitoring the optical fibers sensors, a corresponding plurality of sensor signals of conditions respectively at the fiber optic sensors of the optical fibers;
• and
• transmitting the generated sensor signals to one or more external monitoring computing systems.