Smart Infrastructure Monitoring

🔄 Hybrid

Context and problem statement

Modern cities are built on a “black box” of underground utilities (gas, water, fiber). Accidental damage during construction is a major cost and safety risk. Furthermore, manual inspection of thousands of kilometers of aging infrastructure is no longer sustainable due to labor shortages. NTT East addresses this by “digitizing the invisible,” making the city’s subsurface and structural health visible and predictable.

Solution overview

NTT East provides telecommunications infrastructure and digital connectivity services supporting households, businesses, and public institutions across eastern Japan.

Through its fiber-optic networks, telephone services, and ICT platforms, the company enables high-speed communication, digital services, and connectivity that support economic activity and digital transformation.

As part of the NTT Group ecosystem, NTT East contributes to the development and operation of advanced telecommunications infrastructure that underpins digital services across society.

Functional Scope and Features

  • Key functionalities: Real-time structural health monitoring, 3D underground visualization, automated deterioration alerts, and remote maintenance support via AR/VR.
  • Type of data used: 3D point clouds (Lidar), vibration sensor streams, groundwater/soil metrics, and historical maintenance logs.
  • Outputs produced: High-fidelity 3D “Street Views” of underground assets, predictive maintenance schedules, and real-time disaster impact maps.
  • Innovation: The platform uses “Active Sensing” where the network itself acts as a sensor, detecting vibrations or temperature changes across thousands of kilometers of fiber-optic cables to monitor the surrounding environment.

Use Cases and Deployments

  • Kobe Smart City (10-Year Collaboration): A long-term project using NTT East’s data platform to optimize urban development and public safety.
  • Underground Utility Visualization: Deployed in major Japanese cities to prevent construction accidents and streamline joint utility repairs.
  • Bridge Precise Monitoring (BRIMOS): An AI-powered system that uses sensors to detect structural fatigue and seismic damage in real-time.

Related Challenges

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Related Pilots

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