Recently a new simple low-cost technology has been developed for security monitoring of the borders. Initially, the technology that includes fiber-optic cables has been tested at the US-Mexico border. It allows the determination of a wide range of invasions such as animals, people, vehicles and it is even possible to detect their precise location.
In spite of the fact that this fiber-optic application is not new and has been around for years, the government of the USA has been slow to use it. The fiber-optic cable technology is able to detect exactly what is moving above it, and it does not matter whether it is a huge man, a group of people, a passing car, or a wandering dog.
Today, the US government continues to build a border wall that critics name a “medieval” solution to provide security, even despite the fact that the use of the fiber-optic system is cheaper than the building of a real wall. Other advantages of fiber optic cables include:
- precise determination of border invasion location;
- accurate detection of border invaders;
- possibility to send quickly the information to border patrol agents in real-time.
It should be mentioned that only 1% of human communications is accounted for by satellites, and 99% is accounted for by fiber-optic cables spreading across the seafloor, buried under cities. Herewith, comparing to satellites, the fiber-optic technology is able not only to transmit data but also to determine movement that makes it more advantageous.
Moreover, the fiber-optic technology is already developed enough to be implemented in the security monitoring system of the US-Mexico border, and it is nearly ten times cheaper than a wall and can be put into operation instantly. Nevertheless, the main obstacle is the support of the US government.
The fiber-optic system is quite simple, that is why it is not necessary to put any sensors on the fiber because the fiber itself is a sensor that is able to determine motion as well as events anywhere along the fiber-optic cable length. Some companies made some improvements and enlarge the field of fiber-optic applications that now includes telecommunication, security monitoring, and even broadband internet access.
The principle of work is based on converting sound waves into acoustic information. Although the fiber-optic technology on its own will not completely get rid of the activity such as illegal border-crossing and drug-smuggling, its combination with border patrol agents will significantly improve the situation.
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