Our great projects in the field of hydraulics

Test unit of La Bassée (to the South-East of Paris)
On behalf of Seine Grands-Lacs, geophyConsult conducted a feasibility study on the integration of a fibre optics monitoring system into the dikes of the Bassée basin.

The proposed system was installed by a construction company and delivered in 2024. It is currently undergoing testing.

This project laid the groundwork for innovative instrumentation, integrated from the design stage, for effective monitoring of the dike integrity during flood events.
Instrumentation of the Rhône reaches of Beaucaire-Fourques and Tarascon-Arles (to the Nort-West of Arles)
Along the stretch of flood protection dike between Beaucaire and Fourques, geophyConsult, in partnership with EDF, designed, oversaw the construction, provided user training, and supplied operating software for a passive fibre optics monitoring system.

This instrumentation aims to detect developing leaks early, precisely locate any anomalies in the filter/drain system, and enhance intervention capabilities during flood events. It helps reduce the risk of residual failure after construction and limits long-term maintenance costs by distinguishing, during floods, between dike segments that behave as expected and those that deviate from their expected behavior.

The system was delivered in 2024, and geophyConsult is responsible for its maintenance and operational support during flood periods for the first two years of operation.
Upper Bhavani dam (India)
At the Upper Bhavani Dam, located in the Nilgiris district (Tamil Nadu, India) – the source of the Bhavani River – geophyConsult designed and have installed, in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, an active fibre optics monitoring system behind a geomembrane.

This innovative instrumentation now makes it possible to precisely locate – and, if necessary, urgently – any leak in the geomembrane as soon as it appears in the drains.
Jonage canal (along the Rhône, Nord-East of Lyon)
In 2015, geophyConsult provided project management assistance for the design and implementation of a fibre optics monitoring system with temperature and deformation measurements installed at the foot of the dike of the Jonage Canal.

In 2018, an analysis of the data from the fibre optics system was carried out, along with a visual inspection of the structure, to verify the condition of the dike and the effectiveness of the monitoring system.

This project is part of a continuous and intelligent monitoring approach for hydraulic structures, combining advanced instrumentation and field observations.
Gambsheim and Iffezheim reaches (along the Rhine, North of Strasbourg)
From 2010 to 2014, geophyConsult was responsible for the design and the supervision of installation of a 38 km Rhine dike monitoring system downstream from Strasbourg. At the time, this system was the longest fiber optic monitoring system for hydraulic structures in the world – and it still is, to our knowledge.

geophyConsult continues to operate this system today on behalf of the French Waterways Authority (Voies Navigables de France), with on-call duty during flood periods.

Our great projects in the railway sector
Carmes embankment
Located between the Aubrais-Orléans and Sainte Cyr-en-Val train stations, the Carmes embankment has been subject to increased monitoring following a sinkhole in 2015. To secure the track, a reinforced concrete slab was installed in 2021 beneath the railway platform to maintain the track bed in case of another sinkhole. A fibre optics monitoring system, implemented by NGE GC under the supervision of geophyConsult, was integrated and commissioned on September 14, 2021.

Since 2023, geophyConsult has been responsible for operating the system. This service includes:
  • regular maintenance (weekly data checks, annual inspection),
  • configuration of alarm thresholds and analysis of collected data,
  • implementation of a web interface for data visualization (operational since September 25, 2024).

The system has been operational since 2023 and its direct management by the operator is currently being studied.
Grand-Paris Express
As part of the Grand-Paris Express, geophyConsult designed a fibre optics monitoring system to track the integrity of all underground tunnels.

This system is currently being installed.

Our great projects in the road sector
Jargeau bypass (Loiret, France)
As part of the Jargeau bypass project (RD 921), geophyConsult was contracted to install a fibre optics monitoring system to track deformations in a geogrid reinforcement layer placed under the roadway.

Three fibre optics lines were laid over a length of approximately 2.6 km, in the center and along the sides of the roadway. geophyConsult was responsible for laying the fibre cables, making the connections, installing the optical interrogator, conducting functional tests, and monitoring the system for a period of 12 months.
Early detection of sinkholes under the Northern bypass of Christchurch (New Zealand)
When it became clear in 2016 that none of the traditional measurement techniques could meet the objectives set by the local transport authority for the regulatory real-time monitoring of the foundation of the Christchurch Northern bypass (New Zealand), geophyConsult was called in to demonstrate that fibre optics would meet the requirements, and to train the small local engineering firm responsible for designing and implementing the innovative system.

Once feasibility was established (during an initial in-person meeting with all project partners and the local regulatory authority), geophyConsult's role was to design the fibre optics monitoring system with the local engineering firm and then to support them in overseeing its deployment and developing maintenance software for operational conditions and real-time data analysis tailored to the project's specific requirements.

The monitoring system was operated in 2017 and 2018 by the consortium of companies in charge of the project. It performed fully satisfactorily during the last two years of the motorway's operation – before being dismantled on the orders of the authorities, when it became obvious that the motorway was not subject to any suspicious movement.

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