ShakeAlert Uses Smartphone GPS Systems to Detect Quakes
Rahul Kalvapalle — April 16, 2015 — Tech
The ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System is a US Geological Survey project that leverages smartphones to detect earthquakes early. The system is based on the fact that GPS receivers in smartphones can detect ground displacement caused by fault motions in large earth quakes.
With ShakeAlert, a network of phones in one area could provide data on the magnitude and distribution of these displacements, before sending alerts to communities that could be affected. Even if only a couple thousand volunteers took part in the program in any given city, the combined data from their phones would suffice to assess the quake.
This venture proves lives can be saved by leveraging the power of the crowd using smartphone technology. This unique earthquake warning system will be useful in less-developed countries.
With ShakeAlert, a network of phones in one area could provide data on the magnitude and distribution of these displacements, before sending alerts to communities that could be affected. Even if only a couple thousand volunteers took part in the program in any given city, the combined data from their phones would suffice to assess the quake.
This venture proves lives can be saved by leveraging the power of the crowd using smartphone technology. This unique earthquake warning system will be useful in less-developed countries.
Trend Themes
1. Crowdsourced Earthquake Detection - ShakeAlert's use of smartphones to detect ground displacement in earthquakes highlights the potential for crowdsourcing in early earthquake detection.
2. Smartphone-based Early Warning Systems - The ShakeAlert project demonstrates the potential for using smartphones as a tool for early earthquake warnings, showcasing the disruptive innovation opportunities in smartphone technology.
3. Data-driven Disaster Prevention - The data collected from the network of smartphones in ShakeAlert can be harnessed to develop data-driven approaches for disaster prevention, opening up possibilities for disruptive innovations in the field.
Industry Implications
1. Emergency Response - The ShakeAlert earthquake warning system presents a disruptive innovation opportunity for the emergency response industry, enabling faster and more accurate responses to earthquakes.
2. Smartphone Technology - The utilization of smartphones in the ShakeAlert system reveals disruptive innovation opportunities within the smartphone technology industry, particularly in the realm of disaster detection and prevention.
3. Geological Survey - The ShakeAlert project showcases disruptive innovation possibilities within the geological survey industry, highlighting the potential for leveraging emerging technologies to improve earthquake detection and early warning systems.
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