Bridge structural health monitoring: sensor placement optimization, data integration, and emerging challenges in measurement accuracy

The importance of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) in maintaining safety, reliability of bridges in service, and in their lifespan, cannot be overstated. Available studies show there is still much to be gleaned in addressing challenges in optimization of sensors in their placement to achieve efficiency in integration as well as in making determinations concerning precision in measurements. The current study aimed to provide a narrative review of the research conducted between 2010 and 2025 on the application of sensor techniques for the detection of different forms of degradation in bridge structures. The main results, in terms of KPIs on precision, spatial, and temporal information, are reviewed and compared, and the results are provided in the form of a framework that highlights the achievements and the challenges in the field.