Google has transformed the Android operating system into the world’s largest earthquake alert system, with the first phase being introduced on Tuesday.
If you allow, the accelerometer in Android phones will take the form of a data point for an algorithm designed to detect earthquakes.
Gradually, the system will automatically send warning messages to people at risk of being affected by the earthquake.
Needless to say, the number of Android smartphones worldwide is huge and Google makes the best use of algorithms for big data.
Google has previously partnered with Apple to create a Corona virus patient search system, and emergency location services have been introduced.
The quake alert system will now be gradually introduced, with Google sharing the first phase with the US Geological Survey and the California Office of Emergency Services, while Android users in California will be sent earthquake alerts.
Google’s Android software engineer Mark Stugits said it would be great if seismometers were available everywhere to predict earthquakes, but that was not possible and that it was almost impossible to use them globally because seismometers were too numerous. They are expensive, require constant maintenance and require a large number of them in any area to establish a good Early Earth Quick Warning System.
In the second phase of the project, Google will include earthquake-related Android data alerts in local search results.
The idea behind this is that whenever you feel an earthquake, you can go to Google and see if there was an earthquake or not.
In the last phase, when Google becomes more confident in the accuracy of the system, it will start sending earthquake warnings to the people.
Photos courtesy of Google
Mark Stugits said Google would only need location information for the details submitted under the program.
Becoming part of the earthquake alert and detection system will be at the user’s discretion.
According to Mark Stugits, we just have to turn every phone into a seismometer and we don’t need to know about people because we don’t need to.
Simply put, an Android phone will become a small seismometer because it has an accelerometer that the Android system uses to see if the phone is moving.
It turns on when an Android phone is charged and not used.
“We’ve seen that Android is so sensitive that it can detect earthquakes, but everyone can predict when an earthquake strikes, but phone data may be needed to confirm this,” said Mark Stugits. Is.
To analyze this data, algorithms will be used to examine the data of thousands of phones to determine if an earthquake has really occurred.
Google says its system has the ability to know the epicenter and can also determine the magnitude of an earthquake.
However, given the speed of earthquake waves, people’s response options are limited.
The system will be introduced by Google through Google Mobile Services, so a full operating system update will not be required.
This means that the system will work in most of the Android phones used today.
Earth Quick Alerts are currently being issued to people in California, and there will soon be no Earth data in Google searches.
This system will be introduced in other parts of the world in the near future.
“Millions of people around the world live in areas considered to be the epicenter of earthquakes, and that’s why we thought we could do something to help people,” he said