Fibre sensing: specifying components and systems

Optical fibres have been used in sensing for almost 40 years"\´. The first ideas emerged even before the concept of low loss, low dispersion fibres appeared on the horizon. Fibre sensing now has evolved in a very different context from fibre communications. The communications industry is relatively homogeneous especially at the transmission level where fibres have undoubtedly contributed critically to the revolution in the way in which society functions. Communications is also the industry of large corporate interests and to function it relies heavily on interchangeable product and therefore well defined standards and protocols.