Friday 13 February 2026

SmartScape brings together experts to explore explore how Dublin’s existing telecommunications infrastructure can be transformed into a powerful, city-scale sensing platform.

The new research collaboration brings together the CONNECT Research Ireland Centre for Future Networks, headquartered at Trinity College Dublin, and iCRAG the Research Ireland Centre for Applied Geosciences, with the iCRAG project team based at the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies.

SmartScape uses a technology called Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) to turn existing fibre-optic cables into city-wide sensors. By analysing vibrations detected along the fibre, the project can build a picture of traffic, infrastructure and environmental activity across Dublin without installing new equipment. 

 

First formal centre-to-centre collaboration between CONNECT and iCRAG

The SmartScape project represents the first formal centre-to-centre collaboration between CONNECT and iCRAG, bringing together telecommunications engineers and geoscientists to address shared challenges in urban sustainability, infrastructure monitoring and smart city management. The project is supported by Dublin City Council and HEAnet, and aligns closely with the strategic objectives of Research Ireland.

The project kicked off with its first centre-to-centre meeting on 3 February, marking the start of a year-long pilot that will establish technical workflows, governance structures, and stakeholder engagement across the two research centres and their public-sector partners.

The project will explore a range of smart city use cases, including:

• Monitoring road and motorway traffic to identify congestion patterns;
• Detecting and mapping sources of environmental noise and vibration;
• Assessing the condition of underground fibre ducts, including flooding or silting risks;
• Supporting evidence-based urban planning and more equitable access to low-noise, liveable environments.

Expertise in optical networks, data transmission and future communications infrastructure

Beyond the technical work, SmartScape is designed as a strategic centre-to-centre collaboration. CONNECT contributes expertise in optical networks, data transmission and future communications infrastructure, while iCRAG brings internationally recognised strengths in seismology, geoscience and environmental sensing. Together, the centres are developing shared data-analysis pipelines and machine-learning tools, while working closely with local authority stakeholders to ensure the research addresses real operational needs.

L-R: Pat Kelly, executive director at the CONNECT Centre; Prof Marco Ruffini, Trinity; Prof Chris Bean, iCRAG and DIAS; Dr Aleksandra Kaszubowska-Anandarajah, Trinity; Dr Colm Browning, Smart Docklands; Dr Bruna Chagas de Melom, postdoctoral researcher at DIAS; Prof Dan Kilper, Director, CONNECT; Dr Karolina Anielska, Smart Docklands; Eoin Kenny, HEAnet; and Mariano Devigili, CONNECT.

Professor Dan Kilper, director CONNECT Centre, said: “SmartScape demonstrates the value of formal centre-to-centre collaboration. By aligning CONNECT’s communications expertise with iCRAG’s geoscience capabilities, we’re accelerating impactful, policy-relevant research and building a foundation for scalable urban sensing that supports more sustainable and liveable cities through evidence-based decision-making.” 

Bruna Chagas de Melom, postdoctoral researcher in seismology at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, said: “Working on SmartScape with partners across CONNECT, HEAnet and Dublin City Council has highlighted the importance of genuinely multidisciplinary research. By connecting expertise in telecommunications and geoscience, we can translate complex data into insights that directly support urban management and planning.”

This partnership establishes a clear pathway towards a larger, multi-partner national and European research initiative focused on 'network-as-a-sensor' technologies. By combining complementary expertise across disciplines and sectors, SmartScape positions Dublin as a living laboratory for next-generation urban sensing and offers a replicable model for cities across Ireland and beyond.