1187 In addition to hardware, a modern DFOS platform provides advanced software capabilities that support geotechnical monitoring operations. This includes edge acquisition for remote sites, user configurable processing chains, and remote portals/APIs for integration into existing monitoring systems. This shifts the adoption barrier from ‘can we measure?’ to ‘can we operationalize and govern the data?’, enabling repeatable deployment across portfolios as costs trend down and interpretability improves. With the right implementation framework and collaboration between TSF operators, technology providers, and EoR, these capabilities will be adopted and applied to TSFs. Figure 7 – Example DFOS configuration and visualization workflow: (left) processing chain used to configure real‑time filtering and export; (right) remote portal supporting system administration and data access (example platform: Sintela Onyx). Figure 8 – Example interrogator form factors enabling scalable deployments: compact low‑power units for short‑range/edge installations (left) and higher‑capacity units for longer (right). 5. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR INDUSTRY A DFOS‑enabled ‘nervous system’ can provide full TSF‑scale integrity assessment that complements point sensors and InSAR by delivering dense, permanent measurements of thermal behaviour (often linked to seepage pathways), strain/deformation trends, and dynamic responses. When translated into decision‑ready indicators, this platform can reduce uncertainty between inspections, localize emerging issues early, and increase monitoring performance and response across the TSF lifecycle. The strategic advantage of DFOS for Boards, EoRs, and TSF practitioners lies in improved oversight and governance, underpinned by continuous, auditable, high‑resolution monitoring across large structures. DFOS advances driven by other monitoring domains (military, oil and gas, civil engineering, etc.) have accelerated system maturity, producing more robust hardware, standardized deployment methods, and interoperable data platforms. These developments have shifted DFOS from exploratory trials to scalable, operationally viable solutions ready for integration into TSF monitoring frameworks.
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