Application of graphics processing unit parallel computing in pattern recognition for vibration events based on a phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometer

The technology of pattern recognition for vibration events based on the phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometer (Φ-OTDR) has been significantly improved, thanks to plenty of valuable research in recent years. However, it remains challenging to develop an efficient algorithm for it with computing resources that are simpler to achieve at lower cost. To the best of our knowledge, this paper, for the first time, analyzes the superiority of using graphics processing unit (GPU) parallel computing to improve time-consuming performance in pattern recognition for vibration events based on Φ-OTDR. And the pattern-recognition algorithm, including spectral subtraction and artificial neural networks, is implemented by CPU and GPU, respectively. Then, the time consumption of the CPU-based method and the time consumption of the GPU-based method are, respectively, recorded and compared. As a result of our experiments, we concluded that using GPU parallel computing can develop an efficient algorithm with a computing resource that is simpler to achieve at a lower cost.