Google has announced intentions to turn Android devices into mini seismometers that can be used to issue a warning to other devices in the region when shaking has been detected.
Modern smartphones include a wide array of sensors, one of which is an accelerometer to detect motion. It’s this sensor that Google is relying on as the backbone of the Android Earthquake Alerts System.
It’s a feature made possible through Google’s strengths: the staggering numbers of Android phones around the world and clever use of algorithms on big data. As with its collaboration with Apple on exposure tracing and other Android features like car crash detection and emergency location services, it shows that there are untapped ways that smartphones could be used for something more important than doomscrolling.
Google is rolling out the system in small stages. First, Google is partnering with the United States Geological Survey and the California Office of Emergency Services to send the agencies’ earthquake alerts to Android users in that state. Those alerts are generated by the already-existing ShakeAlert system, which uses data generated by traditional seismometers.
Starting today, interested parties from around the world can opt-in to the Android Earthquake Alerts System and use their phones as mini seismometers to send data to Google. “To start, we’ll use this technology to share a fast, accurate view of the impacted area on Google Search,” said Marc Stogaitis a principal software engineer with Android.
“When you look up “earthquake” or “earthquake near me,” you’ll find relevant results for your area, along with helpful resources on what to do after an earthquake,” Stogaitis added.
For now, residents in California will receive alerts through a partnership with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) that is powered by ShakeAlert, an existing early warning system that gets its signals from the more than 700 seismometers already installed across the state.
