Whenever there is a big earthquake, there are a lot of casualties as these people didn’t know that there was an earthquake until it happened. However, Google has been collecting data from over 1 billion Android smartphones to send out early warnings about nearby earthquakes and their intensity. Keep on reading to discover more about it.
Google uses 1 billion Android phones to measure earthquakes and warn users
Between 2021 and 2024, Google used the continuous input of Android phone sensors to determine seismic activity. They then collected the data and were able to locate the source and even the strength of an earthquake. They were able to identify more than 10.000 earthquakes with an accuracy that rivals the usual technology and specialized seismometers!
By using over 1 billion different Android phones all over the world, Google was able to create a giant network of seismic activity trackers. By identifying these earthquakes, they were able to send automated messages and warnings to millions of people in more than 90 countries all over the world.
There are two types of notifications that you’re able to receive on these Android devices. A Be Aware Alert, which just notifies you that an earthquake is happening somewhere and that you might feel light trembling of the ground. However, if you’re closer to the epicenter of the earthquake, you might receive a Take Action alert, giving you instructions on how to protect yourself from potential debris falling on top of you.
Users can opt out, but have to do so manually
The release of the study also revealed that Google has been collecting data about these phones for at least 3 years. Each of the devices automatically participates in the data collection for this project, unless the user intentionally opts out of the service.
This launched a debate on whether or not the company should have asked users for permission instead of just using the data. Others said that by making this data more accessible to experts in seismology, they can help optimize the analysis of the data to send more accurate early warnings. By doing this, the technology would also become more reliable.
Featured image credit: Google Blog