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[Case 01]

Making Subsea Cables safer with Vibrations and AI

Security & AI

Designing a Proactive Security System for Subsea Cable Protection

Leveraging Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), Real-Time Data Integration and AI to Safeguard Global Communication Networks

[Project Overview]

A prototype system for real-time subsea cable intrusion detection using DAS, AIS, satellite data and AI to help operators protect global communication infrastructure.

[Problem Statement]

  1. Internet cable management companies are facing increasing number of attacks on subsea cables.

  1. Cost to verify cable damage is high and it is hard to pinpoint the precise reason for damage and damage location

  2. Current systems are more reactive then proactive, resulting in millions of dollars of avoidable damage.

[Opportunities]

  1. Utilize new DAS technology to analise movement near the cables and pinpoint exact location of movement or damage.

  2. Design a tool that alerts about worrying movements close to the cables allowing for a more proactive approach to avoid damage.

  3. Utilize machine learning to understand patterns and connect Das reading to in-live behavior.

[Industry]

Security & AI

[My Role]

Senior Product Designer

[Platforms]

Desktop

[Timeline]

January 2025 - February 2025

[Persona]

Alex Carter

Network Operations Manager

I want to be able to be more proactive and prevent accidents.

Age: 38

Location: Los Angeles

Tech Proficiency: High

Gender: Male

[Goal]

Quickly identify and respond to potential threats to subsea cables before damage occurs.

Receive clear, real-time alerts with actionable information to prioritize responses.

Use stored data to analyze trends, improve future threat detection, and support liability assessments.

[Frustrations]

Uses multiple disconnected systems, making it hard to correlate data and identify threats.

Receives delayed or unclear alerts, leading to slower responses and higher repair costs.

Struggles to differentiate between false alarms and real threats.

[Process]

[01] User Research

Conducted interviews with 6 submarine cable specialists to better understand their struggles and challenges.

Interviewed 3 DAS specialist to better understand the limits of the technology and how far we can go with it.

Benchmarked against competitors to identify best practices for notification management.

[01] User Research

Conducted interviews with 6 submarine cable specialists to better understand their struggles and challenges.

Interviewed 3 DAS specialist to better understand the limits of the technology and how far we can go with it.

Benchmarked against competitors to identify best practices for notification management.

[01] User Research

Conducted interviews with 6 submarine cable specialists to better understand their struggles and challenges.

Interviewed 3 DAS specialist to better understand the limits of the technology and how far we can go with it.

Benchmarked against competitors to identify best practices for notification management.

[02] Insights

Users will often work with a set of multiple monitors.

DAS system is not super precise on it's own. It requires data triangulation to better precide the type of alert and incident position.

Vessel and cable insurance companies would find those tool interesting for better applying liability to actors and create reports.

[02] Insights

Users will often work with a set of multiple monitors.

DAS system is not super precise on it's own. It requires data triangulation to better precide the type of alert and incident position.

Vessel and cable insurance companies would find those tool interesting for better applying liability to actors and create reports.

[02] Insights

Users will often work with a set of multiple monitors.

DAS system is not super precise on it's own. It requires data triangulation to better precide the type of alert and incident position.

Vessel and cable insurance companies would find those tool interesting for better applying liability to actors and create reports.

[03 Design Solution]

Added correlation and it's probability to all vessels and alerts. With AI helping user understand the context and percentage.

Incorporated DAS, GPS and AIS systems so the information can be triangulated generating more precise measurements.

Incorporated a functinality to call costal guards and dispatch drones, so managers can be more proactive and avoid accidents.

[03 Design Solution]

Added correlation and it's probability to all vessels and alerts. With AI helping user understand the context and percentage.

Incorporated DAS, GPS and AIS systems so the information can be triangulated generating more precise measurements.

Incorporated a functinality to call costal guards and dispatch drones, so managers can be more proactive and avoid accidents.

[03 Design Solution]

Added correlation and it's probability to all vessels and alerts. With AI helping user understand the context and percentage.

Incorporated DAS, GPS and AIS systems so the information can be triangulated generating more precise measurements.

Incorporated a functinality to call costal guards and dispatch drones, so managers can be more proactive and avoid accidents.

[Outcome]

Project green-lighted by company executives.
100% Aprooval in internal testing.
Project continuation and strenghted partnership.

[Key Learnings]

Embracing complexity without overwhelming the user.

Tesler’s law guided us to find the right balance between functionality and usability in subsea cable monitoring.

Embracing complexity without overwhelming the user.

Tesler’s law guided us to find the right balance between functionality and usability in subsea cable monitoring.

Embracing complexity without overwhelming the user.

Tesler’s law guided us to find the right balance between functionality and usability in subsea cable monitoring.

Constant validation pays off

Regular meetings with the future users helped us uncovered hidden issues and ensured the design met user needs.

Constant validation pays off

Regular meetings with the future users helped us uncovered hidden issues and ensured the design met user needs.

Constant validation pays off

Regular meetings with the future users helped us uncovered hidden issues and ensured the design met user needs.

Details matter

Small improvements, like error validation and micro-interactions, had a significant impact.

Details matter

Small improvements, like error validation and micro-interactions, had a significant impact.

Details matter

Small improvements, like error validation and micro-interactions, had a significant impact.

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