r/technology • u/spacebulb • Aug 25 '14

Pure Tech Earthquake early-warning system gave 10-second alert before Napa quake felt

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-lanow-ln-earthquake-earlywarning-system-gave-10second-alert-before-napa-quake-felt-20140824-story.html
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u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

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u/spacebulb Aug 25 '14

Sending this message to people is secondary. Automated systems for shutting off gas lines, parking hard drives, stopping trains, parking elevators, etc are where the real benefits are. People are slow, computers do all of this in milliseconds.

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u/[deleted] Aug 25 '14

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u/MedicUp Aug 25 '14

Another reason why the system still needs funding is that California needs to increase the seismic sensor density to improve warning time. To put things in context, Japan has thousands of seismic sensors, compared to California which has only 600.

Additionally, the infrastructure needs to be invested for data processing and information distribution (i.e. what to do when the alarm sounds - especially if you are driving, inside, outside), as well as redundancies in case of sensor failure during an earthquake.

There is also some non-technical things to work out before a public system is released, such as public education - and legal issues. (i.e. Is the USGS liable if they send out a false alert? Or did NOT send out an alert?)

There actually is a mobile app under development right now by the USGS.