Join the Quake-Catcher Network
Every little bit
helps.
A simple idea for monitoring earthquakes that
Elizabeth Cochran, a seismologist at UC Riverside, came up with in 2006 is being
realized today, and has the potential to save lives in case an earthquake
strikes.
The idea involves inviting the public to help monitor earthquakes by simply using their laptop computers at home. In doing so, the laptops join a network of computers designed to take a dense set of measurements that can help capture an earthquake.
Because the project makes use of inexpensive motion sensors, called accelerometers, which are already in place as safety devices in most new laptops, participants incur no significant costs related to the project.
Called “Quake-Catcher Network,” the project involves distributed computing, a method in which different parts of a computer program run simultaneously on two or more computers that are in communication with a central server over a network…
“The idea is to fill in the spaces – or holes – in the seismic network currently being used to report earthquakes,” Cochran said. “With the public’s participation in Quake-Catcher Network, however, we can have a lot more ‘stations’ recording earthquakes, allowing for a better early warning system. At present in California, no such early warning system for earthquakes exists…”
The current beta runs only on Apple laptops; but, it will be expanded to include most laptops with an accelerometer. There are even plans for a thumb drive accelerometer.
The idea involves inviting the public to help monitor earthquakes by simply using their laptop computers at home. In doing so, the laptops join a network of computers designed to take a dense set of measurements that can help capture an earthquake.
Because the project makes use of inexpensive motion sensors, called accelerometers, which are already in place as safety devices in most new laptops, participants incur no significant costs related to the project.
Called “Quake-Catcher Network,” the project involves distributed computing, a method in which different parts of a computer program run simultaneously on two or more computers that are in communication with a central server over a network…
“The idea is to fill in the spaces – or holes – in the seismic network currently being used to report earthquakes,” Cochran said. “With the public’s participation in Quake-Catcher Network, however, we can have a lot more ‘stations’ recording earthquakes, allowing for a better early warning system. At present in California, no such early warning system for earthquakes exists…”
The current beta runs only on Apple laptops; but, it will be expanded to include most laptops with an accelerometer. There are even plans for a thumb drive accelerometer.
Posted: Sun - April 6, 2008 at 02:26 PM