Optimal Sensor Placement for Bridge Structural Health Monitoring: A Systematic Review with Bibliometric Analysis and Methodological Quality Assessment.
- 1Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Avenida Brasil 2147, Valparaíso 2362807, Chile.
- 2Escuela de Ingeniería Informática, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Avenida Brasil 2241, Valparaíso 2362807, Chile.
Abstract
Optimal Sensor Placement (OSP) is a key step in the design of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems for bridges and requires combining civil engineering constraints with computational optimization. This systematic review, conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, analyzes 49 studies through bibliometric analysis, a synthesis of optimization strategies, sensor modalities and research motivations, and a tailored Quality Assessment rubric. Accordingly, its quantitative results describe publication patterns, coded categories and methodological quality scores rather than bridge-specific dynamic parameters. Accelerometers are the most frequently used sensor modality, and improving data quality is the most frequently reported motivation (45 of 49 studies), whereas cost reduction, communication efficiency and energy efficiency appear in 11 studies each. Only 15 studies included experimental or field validation on physical bridges, and robustness against uncertainty was the weakest quality dimension, revealing a persistent simulation-to-reality gap. To organize these findings, the Sensor Placement Optimization Maturity Levels (SPO-ML) typology and a Unified Operational Decision Framework are proposed as literature-informed, preliminary guidance relating algorithm selection to structural complexity and network constraints. Future OSP research should prioritize field validation, robustness under uncertainty, and reproducible reporting of bridge and instrumentation characteristics.
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BibTeX
@article{wlack2026optimal,
title = {{Optimal Sensor Placement for Bridge Structural Health Monitoring: A Systematic Review with Bibliometric Analysis and Methodological Quality Assessment.}},
author = {Gastón Luis Rodríguez Wlack and Nicolás Fuentes and Álvaro Peña Fritz and Broderick Crawford and Ricardo Soto},
journal = {Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/s26206661},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42944524},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Optimal Sensor Placement for Bridge Structural Health Monitoring: A Systematic Review with Bibliometric Analysis and Methodological Quality Assessment.
AU - Gastón Luis Rodríguez Wlack
AU - Nicolás Fuentes
AU - Álvaro Peña Fritz
AU - Broderick Crawford
AU - Ricardo Soto
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/s26206661
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42944524
AB - Optimal Sensor Placement (OSP) is a key step in the design of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems for bridges and requires combining civil engineering constraints with computational optimization. This systematic review, conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, analyzes 49 studies through bibliometric analysis, a synthesis of optimization strategies, sensor modalities and research motivations, and a tailored Quality Assessment rubric. Accordingly, its quantitative results describe publication patterns, coded categories and methodological quality scores rather than bridge-specific dynamic parameters. Accelerometers are the most frequently used sensor modality, and improving data quality is the most frequently reported motivation (45 of 49 studies), whereas cost reduction, communication efficiency and energy efficiency appear in 11 studies each. Only 15 studies included experimental or field validation on physical bridges, and robustness against uncertainty was the weakest quality dimension, revealing a persistent simulation-to-reality gap. To organize these findings, the Sensor Placement Optimization Maturity Levels (SPO-ML) typology and a Unified Operational Decision Framework are proposed as literature-informed, preliminary guidance relating algorithm selection to structural complexity and network constraints. Future OSP research should prioritize field validation, robustness under uncertainty, and reproducible reporting of bridge and instrumentation characteristics.
SN - 1424-8220
ER -