When it comes to security and data collection, many people imagine very specific things. They are constantly discussed and at the same time, as usual, there are satisfied and dissatisfied. In addition to information security, there is a very specific physical security. In particular, the one that is meant when we talk about the health and life of people during natural disasters or other emergencies. One of these incidents was the earthquake that happened the other day in California. It turns out that in the modern world it is not even necessary to come up with new ways of placing sensors, because everyone has a smartphone. Here's what Google has come up with.
Earthquakes can do a lot of damage.
Google earthquake prediction
Since every smartphone has a fairly accurate accelerometer, and most of them are equipped with Android, this opens up great opportunities for seismologists. That is why the earthquake warning system on Android has very good prospects. Millions of seismic sensors scattered throughout the area. What could be better?
Already, Google has been able to share an interesting visualization of how the detection system worked during the Los Angeles earthquake that struck this weekend. The company shared an interesting visualization of what the phones have found Android.
VP of Development Android Dave Burke tweeted a video of Los Angeles and the surrounding area immediately after the earthquake. An earthquake is usually composed of different waves, and a Google visualization showed how it works and how the waves diverge. Before that, such a construction was possible only at the level of a hypothesis. Such visualization is enough to understand where the epicenter of the earthquake was and how the earthquake spread at that time.
Google does a lot for security. Now she took up earthquakes.
How an earthquake can be predicted
During earthquakes, there is an initial wave, which is, as it were, a harbinger of an impending catastrophe. The accelerometer of modern smartphones is able to detect this initial wave. When this happens, your phone will send the general location to the Google earthquake detection server. These data are approximate, because such work does not require the exact addresses of each user. It is enough that he is just in a certain area.
This data is then collected in real time and processed to produce such an important result. Google does not yet use this system to send alerts. Instead, Google displays the card in search for users looking for 'earthquake or other similar queries'. They will be asked to respond if they felt anything to 'see the affected area quickly and accurately'.
Earthquake fixation can change forever.
Google plans to send notifications and use this system in areas where there is not yet an extensive network of seismological sensors, but there is a certain geological activity that can lead to casualties and destruction. This can be a very good and timely solution both in terms of preventing earthquakes and studying their distribution. Greater understanding of the process, in turn, can also lead to better forecasting and fewer casualties.
Google user safety
As a result, Google can not only raise the security of its users to a new level, but also make a huge contribution to the development of science in general and security in particular. As they say, it is a sin not to use such a system when there are all the prerequisites for it. This proves once again that technologies have made such a step forward that we do not even know all the features of their application yet. It would seem that this is just a smartphone that allows you to take selfies and sit on TikTok, but no. Even such a seemingly insignificant thing like an accelerometer has found such applied application.
An earthquake is a terrible force.
Examples of such auxiliary applications are hearing protection systems, for example, on Apple Watch, when the microphone constantly detects the noise level around it, and if you get into a noisy place for a while, you will receive a notification. The clock will tell you that it is too noisy around, and you have already spent more than the time allowed by safety measures. Then you will already make a decision whether to leave or stay. Although, with the prediction and data collection of earthquakes, everything is much cooler.
The main thing is to learn how to use such a stream of useful data that can be collected from smartphones and through the ShakeAlert system, announced by Google back in August, to notify users. The details still need to be finalized, but in general they receive a warning that shocks are recorded somewhere nearby and will provide several simple and understandable cards that will show what to do and where to hide in order to minimize the risk of injury. After all, an earthquake is much more terrible than it seems until the moment you face it, and for a reason they claim hundreds of thousands of lives. How do you feel about such a system? Do you believe in her?