![]() ![]() Still, it's easy to see the app's drawbacks. Additionally, the city undertook the creation of the app in concert with other earthquake preparedness measures, such as the retrofitting of buildings, pipes, and more. The app also has resources to educate people about earthquake preparedness, and information about what to do in the aftermath. The app is open source, and Mayor Garcetti said he would be enthusiastic if other counties wanted to either create their own apps, using what the city's AT&T contractors had developed, or sign on to the ShakeAlert app itself. Its usefulness could increase as EEW systems become more widespread. "It may not come before the shaking for some cases, and it may not be very fast for the first year or two it’s out there," Dr. Vidale says it's likely that as the technology improves and app use becomes more widespread, that warning time might increase. ![]() But even that amount of time could allow people to duck and cover, pull off to the side of the road, move away from hazardous structures, and more. Tweet may have been deletedĬurrently, the average latency time between detection and delivery is 1.88 seconds. It will also send out signals to some PA systems, such as at government buildings, schools, and hospitals. ![]() Then, the app will send out a notification to every smartphone with the app installed that is in the affected area (currently limited to LA county) at the time. Now, the P-wave sensors will send a signal to the ShakeAlertLA app that a P-Wave is occurring, if it indicates an earthquake with a greater than 5.0 magnitude (which means it is a significant shake). This network of sensors was already in place before the creation of the app, but it did not previously have a public-facing application. Ya got your P-waves here, ya got your S-waves there, ya got your earthquake there, and ya shake it all around. So by monitoring P-Waves, sensors can tell when S-Waves are coming. As opposed to S-Waves -the slower moving waves that actually shake the ground - P-Waves are faster, and occur sooner at the beginning of the earthquake process. Hundreds of sensors around the state, which comprise the California Integrated Seismic Network, are now monitoring the earth for signs of P-Waves. "This is noticing the start of an earthquake using instruments, and notifying them that they’re on the way." John Vidale, director of the Southern California Earthquake Center, told Mashable over the phone. "This is not predicting earthquakes," Dr. Instead, ground motion sensors placed near fault lines can detect when an earthquake is beginning, and give people who know how to read the signs a jump on the upcoming shake. The alert system is not an earthquake soothsayer - predicting earthquakes is still impossible. "It’s an app that works on everybody’s phone no matter who your carrier is,” Mayor Garcetti said. Notably, the app and notifications are completely carrier agnostic Mayor Garcetti said the fact that AT&T won the RFP that provided the developer team has nothing to do with AT&T's capacity as a carrier. And the USGS worked with programmers from AT&T to actually develop the app. Earthquake wave sensor technology and systems developed by the USGS, which is within the Department of the Interior, provide the underlying technology for the system. The Mayor's Fund and the Annenberg Foundation funded the creation of the app in a public-private partnership. Miraculously to some reporters in the room during the announcement, the city met the deadline - releasing the app on December 31. With the West Coast's vulnerability to earthquakes, the LA mayor announced his intention to join that club in 2016, setting a launch date for the end of 2018. Notably, Mexico City's system gave residents a minute of warning before its deadly 8.1 magnitude earthquake in 2017. ShakeAlertLA is not the first alert system of its kind: Mexico, Japan, and several other countries already have EEW systems in place. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |