Google is creating a worldwide earthquake detection network, and every Android phone will eventually be a part of that. The system is now rolling out for Android phones in California in the US as part of the phased rollout and will use the sensors in Android phones to detect seismic activity and warn people in the region where the detection has happened. The Android Earthquake Alerts System will be a one of its kind global network which will tap the millions of Android phones in use around the world for data. This is a three-stage implementation of the system. First, Google is partnering with the United States Geological Survey and the California Office of Emergency Services to send alerts to users in the state of California. This will be powered by the already active ShakeAlert system that also uses the ground installed seismometers across California. Similar tie-ups will be expected globally as the network rolls out further. Google says that over the next 12 months, more states in the US as well as more countries around the world will see the rollout of the Android Earthquake Alerts System.
Installing a ground network of seismometers would be a very costly activity, bordering on impossible, because of the sheer scale of the infrastructure installations that would be required. However, it is the scale of Google’s Android phone base which the company is tapping up, by making each of them work like mini seismometers to create the Android Earthquake Alerts System. Every smartphone has accelerometers that can detect movement, irrespective of intensity of direction. “If the phone detects something that it thinks may be an earthquake, it sends a signal to our earthquake detection server, along with a coarse location of where the shaking occurred. The server then combines information from many phones to figure out if an earthquake is happening,” says Marc Stogaitis, Principal Software Engineer, Android. This is when a warning will be sent out which may give people those critical few more seconds to drop for cover or find a safe place to tide it out.
This is where the second and third stages of the Android Earthquake Alerts System come into play. First, Google will show localized results in Google Search for earthquakes based on the data collected from Android phones—this will be a extended test period to see if the system works as expected, any variables that may come into play and a confirmation of sorts where you can double-check if it was actually an earthquake after you felt one. When Google is confident that the Android Earthquake Alerts System is accurate enough, it will actively send out warnings and alerts to users directly. Google says that over the next 12 months, more states in the US as well as more countries around the world will see the rollout of the Android Earthquake Alerts System.
There is of course the small matter of privacy. Google insists that the data being collected for the Android Earthquake Alerts System from Android phones will be collected anonymously. Only a general location pinpoint is required and no personal data of users is collected at any point.
Comments
0 comment