Smartphones could help detect earthquakes and send early warnings, study finds
How your smartphone could warn of impending disaster
- Researchers from Google and the US Geological Survey have developed a new system that transforms Android smartphones into real-time earthquake detectors.
- The system analyses data from millions of phones to identify early shaking signals, sending alerts to users in nearby areas when a cluster of devices registers ground movement.
- The network detects over 300 earthquakes each month, with 36 per cent of people who felt an earthquake receiving an alert before the shaking commenced.
- This scalable, low-cost early warning tool is particularly beneficial for regions without dense scientific seismic networks, such as developing countries.
- The Android Earthquake Alerts System, which began rolling out in 2020, is built directly into the Android operating system and operates in several countries, including the United States and Japan.