Texas811 Guardian

Texas811, the nonprofit organization that manages the state’s call-before-you-dig system, has launched Texas811 Guardian. The innovative technology uses distributed fiber-optic sensing to turn existing fiber-optic lines into real-time monitoring systems that detect excavation activity, preventing damage before it occurs.

To identify urgent issues, the patent-pending Guardian program directly integrates fiber-optic sensing alerts for excavations into the active Texas811 ticket database. An alert is sent to Texas811 when an excavation is detected. Guardian then immediately queries the system to check for an active 811 ticket. If “yes,” the system remains silent; if “no,” Guardian’s technology promptly notifies utility operators of an unauthorized excavation that could pose a significant threat. They are given an exact location and excavation type (mechanical or manual), enabling appropriate resource deployment to protect their underground lines. https://texas811.org/guardian