Google is set to bring earthquake alerts in Android devices. This will send an earthquake early warning, so you can take steps to protect yourself.
This earthquake detection feature is powered by ShakeAlert and has been developed with the help of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). ShakeAlert system uses signals from more than 700 seismometers installed across the state to detect Earthquakes.
Now your Android phone can be the part of Android Earthquake Alerts System starting today. That means your Android phone is a mini seismometer and millions of Android phones form the world’s largest earthquake detection network.
All Android phones with accelerometers can sense signals that indicate an earthquake might be happening. If a phone detects signals that may be an earthquake, it will send it to earthquake detection server along with location. The server will combine information from many phones to figure out if an earthquake is happening.
The earthquake alert feature is now live in California because there is already a great seismometer-based system. Over the coming years, this feature could come to more states and countries.
