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Programme/Pilot pathway
Pilot / conditional pathway

A field trial is a validation instrument.

INFORM will treat a pilot as a controlled engineering study—not a product demonstration. Entry requires Stage 2 evidence, an asset-owner problem, comparator measurements and pre-agreed decision criteria.

Status: conditionalEarliest entry: after Stage 2 close-out
Concept illustration: two engineers in hard hats at a rugged laptop on site, under two checklists, comparator measurements and pilot decision criteria.
Comparator measurementsStrain gaugesDisplacement (GNSS/Total Station)Vibration (accelerometers)Environmental conditions
Pilot decision criteriaData quality thresholdsAgreement with comparatorsPerformance over timeGo / Hold / Adapt criteria
Concept illustration: a concrete slab on site at night with embedded probes and a data unit, under panels for sensor traces, comparator measurements and a validation view.
Live sensor dataStrain+3.2 µεTemp14.8 °CDisp0.12 mmComparator measurementsINFORM (emb. sensor)LVDT (reference)Total station (surface)Validation view
Concept illustration: a technician on a bridge deck beside conventional comparator sensors, with an INFORM sensing layer drawn along the edge of the structure.
Conventionalcomparator sensors
INFORM sensing layer
Structural asset(real-world environment)
Concept illustration
Pilot boundary

No structural element should rely on INFORM sensing for safety-critical decisions during a pilot. Conventional engineering design, inspection and instrumentation remain authoritative.

Pilot design

Four controls before placement

01

Joint scoping

Define asset, damage mode, specimen geometry, load profile, operational constraint and the decision the data is expected to improve.

02

Comparator instruments

Use strain gauges, FBG, DIC, vibration, acoustic or other appropriate methods so INFORM response can be benchmarked.

03

Pre-registered criteria

Fix sensitivity, repeatability, drift, false-alarm, missing-data and environmental-performance thresholds before testing.

04

Assurance and rights

Document engineer-of-record boundaries, WHS, insurance, IP, confidentiality, raw-data ownership and publication.

Candidate environments

Match pilot risk to evidence maturity

Environment
Why it is useful
Earliest fit
Primary constraint
Controlled laboratory elementConcept drawing: a laboratory environmental chamber holding a concrete element wired to a logger.Concept illustration
Repeatable loading, environmental control and dense comparator instrumentation.
Stage 2
Limited constructability realism.
Precast yard slab
Controlled materials, curing, access and loading with field-relevant production.
Stage 3 candidate
Production disruption and QA integration.
Private industrial slab
Known loads, controlled access and direct asset-owner operational questions.
Stage 3–4
Vehicle/load ground truth and environmental drift.
Bridge deck section
High-value structural monitoring use case with strong comparator options.
Stage 4 only
Authority approvals, liability and long-duration evidence.
Safety-critical relianceConcept drawing: an engineer with monitoring records stands at a closed gate carrying a no-entry sign.Concept illustration
Outside the research-pilot boundary.
Not permitted
Certification, redundancy and independent assurance absent.
Risk × evidence maturityOrdinal view of the table above · not to scale
Outside pilot boundary
Controlled laboratory elementStage 2
Precast yard slabStage 3 candidate
Private industrial slabStage 3–4
Bridge deck sectionStage 4 only
Safety-critical relianceNot permitted
Consequence ↑
Evidence maturity required →
[ Fig 7.1 · Risk × evidence maturity · ordinal ]

Bring an asset problem—not just a pour location

A useful pilot begins with a maintenance, inspection or risk decision and works backward to the required signal, comparator and evidence design.

Discuss a pilot →