Vanessa Di Murro from the SAM-FS Section was invited by the Centre for Underground Space and Underground Construction (COB International) to contribute to the Beyond a Tunnel Vision Conference 2024 in Antwerp, an international conference on tunnel renovation focused on the joint challenges in the infrastructure network of Europe. 

She chaired the monitoring session and also presented the latest developments on CERN’s tunnel asset management. In recent years CERN has made significant advancements in this domain thanks to the integration of advanced automation, remote monitoring technologies, and data-driven decision-making frameworks. The enormous amount of data collected from these automated systems is now analysed using advanced data analytics and machine learning techniques. This process is used to optimize maintenance schedules, prioritize interventions, and allocate resources more effectively.

The conference was a great opportunity to address not only the challenges for tunnel renovation and the renewal of ageing infrastructures, but also to discuss the needs of future generations on climate adaptivity and resilience.