KARACHI: Google’s “Earthquake Alerts System” was launched in Pakistan on Tuesday.
The system is a free Android feature that detects earthquakes across the world by using mobile phone sensors and alerts people. It also provides near-instant information to Google Search engine to that people can find relevant results when they search ‘earthquake’ or ‘earthquake near me’, according to a press release.
On mobile devices, the system displays two types of alerts, depending on the magnitude and intensity of the earthquake. They are: ‘Be Aware’ and ‘Take Action’.
‘Be Aware’ alerts people when quakes with a magnitude of 4.5 occur. A notification is sent along with the distance of its epicentre. The alert uses the phone’s current volume, vibration, and Do Not Disturb settings. ‘Take Action’ is a full-screen alert for quakes with a magnitude higher than 4.5. To help people prepare for potential heavy shaking, full-screen instructions are shown and the phone plays a loud sound.
The system uses accelerometers in active Android smartphones to detect seismic activities. Acetometers are built-in sensors that measure motion and accordingly change the orientation of the smartphone. If the phone detects something that it thinks may be a quake, it sends a signal to Google’s earthquake detection server, along with its location. The server then combines data from many phones to detect quake.
Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2022
