Underground cable localization by fast time series template matching

1. A method for underground cable localization by fast time series template matching and distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS) comprising:

providing the DFOS system including

a length of optical sensor fiber;

a DFOS interrogator in optical communication with the optical sensor fiber, said DFOS interrogator configured to generate optical pulses, introduce the generated pulses into the length of optical sensor fiber, and receive backscattered signals from the length of the optical sensor fiber; and

an intelligent analyzer configured to analyze DFOS data received by the DFOS interrogator and determine from the backscattered signals, vibrational activity occurring at locations along the length of the optical sensor fiber;

deploying a programmable vibration generator to a field location proximate to the length of optical sensor fiber;

transmitting to the programmable vibration generator a unique, designed, vibration pattern to be generated by the vibration generator; and

periodically operating the programmable vibration generator to generate the unique vibration pattern transmitted, wherein the periods of operation are determined by a metronome instrument;

operating the DFOS system and collecting/analyzing the determined vibrational activity to further determine vibrational activity indicative of the unique vibration pattern generated by the vibration generator;

wherein the analyzing the determined vibrational activity includes generating waterfall data image from the backscattered signals and pattern matching of the waterfall data image;

wherein the pattern matching includes correlating a 2D matrix having a designed pattern to a pattern template;

wherein a waterfall data image includes N columns comprising N time series and the pattern matching is applied to all of the N time series; and

wherein the pattern matching includes a determination of similar sub-sequences of the pattern template to each of the N columns of the waterfall data image.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising associating the vibrational activity indicative of the unique vibration pattern generated by the vibration generator to a physical location along the length of the optical sensor fiber.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the physical location is correlated to a GPS coordinate.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising relocating the vibration generator to a different location along the length of the optical sensor fiber and transmitting to the vibration generator a different vibration pattern to be generated; and operating the vibration generator and DFOS system to determine the new location of the vibration generator.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising generating the unique vibration pattern to be transmitted to the vibration generator.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein analyzing the determined vibrational activity includes searching a target signal pattern on collected waterfall data, and outputting N regions on a waterfall data image containing a signal corresponding to the unique vibration pattern generated by the vibration generator.