Optical Correlation
Optical Events and Physical Location
The gray line is a typical reference trace, basically a snapshot of a good fiber run. The down slope represents the signal loss over the distance of the fiber. Once you take a reference trace, the FiberWatch™ system will identify disruptions in the fiber, typically splices, connections and optical switches. The system administrator can identify these trace anomalies and assign them as "landmarks". These landmarks are then put on a GIS enabled map.
The red line represents a test trace that differs from the original reference trace. FiberWatch™ will alert the user to this optical discrepancy, by generating a alarm. It will also make all the necessary distance calculations and provide a location on the map. From this location indicator along with the latitude and longitude give by the alarm, users can pinpoint fiber degredation and disruption.
Alarm Probable Cause
The trace graph provides valuable information in determining fiber optic problems. By putting a fiber circuit in surveillance mode, traces will run continuously, constantly comparing the reference trace to the current trace. Any difference in traces will be reported as a fiber event. The user can easly select an alarm, and the reference trace will be overlayed by the alarm trace for visual confirmation. From the three traces below, the issue causing the problem can be easily determined.
