JAKARTA - Earthquakes can occur every day around the world, with hundreds of millions of people living in earthquake-prone areas. To help people prepare for disasters, Google plans to turn Android phones into earthquake detection tools.
Launching from its official blog page, Google provides a unique ability for Android-based phones, namely an earthquake detection system. This feature, called Android Earthquake Alert System, will turn your phone into a mini seismograph.
Utilizing the accelerometer feature on the cellphone, this sensor can measure vibration signals that indicate an earthquake. Later, the cellphone will send an earthquake notification complete with its location and magnitude.
"We are working on an earthquake warning system, which can be presented anywhere on a smartphone," said March Stogaitis, Principal Software Engineer in a Google blog, Thursday August 13.
This earthquake detection system will also send notifications to other android users within a certain radius via the 'Earthquake near me' feature on Google. So that it can provide evacuation time for the community when an earthquake occurs.
To try this feature out, Google is working with seismology laboratories at the University of California Berkeley and the United States Geological Survey and the Office of Emergency Services. In the collaboration, Google integrated an earthquake detection system with 700 seismograph tools scattered across California to provide earthquake alerts.
"We are working on an earthquake warning system wherever there is a smartphone," said Richard Allen, director of the seismology laboratory at the University of California Berkeley.
In its warning notification, Google will also display recommendations to protect against earthquakes. Not only that, Google will also provide post-earthquake warnings to people who are at the location.
With the technology presented by Google, it is hoped that Android cellphone users can get an early warning just before an earthquake occurs. The plan for this system update will be available next year.
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