289 Proceedings of the International Conference on Smart Infrastructure and Construction ISBN 978-0-7277-6127-9 © The authors and ICE Publishing: All rights reserved, 2016 doi:10.1680/tfitsi.61279.289 Sensing for smart infrastructure: prospective engineering applications A. Klar *1 , E. Levenberg 1 , M. Tur 2 and A. Zadok 3 1 Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel 2 Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv, Israel 3 Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel * Corresponding Author ABSTRACT: Two parallel, yet complimentary, paths are being pursued by the scientific community with respect to the future of smart in- frastructure. The first focuses on sensor technology and deals with advancing the capabilities and performance of the sensory gear. The second focuses on engineering applications and targets the development of interpretation models capable of transforming raw r eadings into information of engineering worth. This paper presents advancements made within various Israeli universities along these two paths. Firstly, innovations in the field of Brillouin distributed fiber optic sensing are discussed, together with presentation of prospective applications and future research directions. This is followed by an overview of recent advancements in the field of wireless embedded sensors, called Wis- dom Stones, for civil engineering applications. It is concluded that expediting a smart infrastructure future requires a multi-disciplinary ap- proach in which engineering needs are involved in the development of the sensing techniques. 1 INTRODUCTION Smart infrastructure is an emerging field of study dealing with the development and large-scale em- bedment of hi-tech sensors in traditional civil engi- neering structures, and concurrently, with the collec- tion and meaningful interpretation of the raw signals. Two parallel, yet complimentary, paths are being pursued by the scientific community with respect to the future of smart infrastructure. The first focuses on sensor technology and deals with advancing the ca- pabilities as well as the performance-envelope of sensory gear. The second focuses on engineering ap- plications and targets the development of interpreta- tion models capable of transforming raw readings in- to information of engineering worth. This paper overviews both recent and current re- search activities within the two paths taking place in different Israeli universities. It addresses advance- ments and applications in two technology categories: distributed fiber optic strain sensing, and buried wire- less accelerometer networks. 2 DISTRIBUTED FIBER OPTIC STRAIN SENSING Strain is a fundamental component of civil engineer- ing design. It directly provides information on the stress levels in elastic systems and on the cumulative damage and fatigue in elasto-plastic systems. Most engineering design processes of civil engineering structures (e.g. buildings, foundation systems, em- bankments, tunnels, pavements, retaining walls, pipe- lines, etc.) involve either directly, or indirectly through stress analysis, limits on the allowable strain levels. It is therefore no wonder why measurement of the developed strain in civil engineering infrastruc- ture is of the utmost importance for its effective de- sign, construction, condition assessment, and mainte- nance. Traditionally, strains were (and still are) evaluated locally using changes in electrical resistance of foil (bonded wire) strain gauges using Wheatstone bridge configuration, or by more advanced local devices such as vibrating wires, MEMS, or even fiber optic Bragg gratings. The interpretation of a local strain measurement for the purpose of understanding and analyzing civil engineering structures is, however, ra- ther limited. A local stain measurement can neither