Android's earthquake warning system failed in Turkey, says BBC
Google's earthquake warning system for Android is supposed to provide timely warnings to reach safety, but that may not have happened after the February 6 earthquake in Turkey. BBC investigators say none of the hundreds of people they spoke to in three Turkish cities received warnings before the first earthquake. Only a "limited number" received an alert for a second tremor, investigators say.
We have requested a comment from Google. Product manager Micah Berman told the BBC that millions of people in Turkey had received earthquake alerts, although the company did not share data indicating any notifications. generalized. Google showed a handful of social media posts from people who said they had received a warning, but only one related to the first earthquake. Berman says he doesn't have a "resounding answer" as to why social media has remained silent on the alerts, but notes that the nature of an earthquake and the reliability of internet access may affect the system.
Android's earthquake warning system uses phones' accelerometer (aka motion detection) to effectively broadcast warnings. If many phones vibrate at the same time, Google can use the collective data to find the epicenter and magnitude of the quake, automatically sending a warning to people who may feel the shock of the tremor. Although there is no more than a minute's notice, this may be enough to find shelter or evacuate. The technology can theoretically help people in areas where conventional warnings are not available.
The problem is that the system may have failed during a strong earthquake (magnitude 7.8). Even if it worked, it's unclear how many people should and do receive warnings in cases like this, let alone less serious incidents. Without more data, it's uncertain whether Android's earthquake alerts are reliable substitutes for traditional warnings broadcast on radio and television.
Google's earthquake warning system for Android is supposed to provide timely warnings to reach safety, but that may not have happened after the February 6 earthquake in Turkey. BBC investigators say none of the hundreds of people they spoke to in three Turkish cities received warnings before the first earthquake. Only a "limited number" received an alert for a second tremor, investigators say.
We have requested a comment from Google. Product manager Micah Berman told the BBC that millions of people in Turkey had received earthquake alerts, although the company did not share data indicating any notifications. generalized. Google showed a handful of social media posts from people who said they had received a warning, but only one related to the first earthquake. Berman says he doesn't have a "resounding answer" as to why social media has remained silent on the alerts, but notes that the nature of an earthquake and the reliability of internet access may affect the system.
Android's earthquake warning system uses phones' accelerometer (aka motion detection) to effectively broadcast warnings. If many phones vibrate at the same time, Google can use the collective data to find the epicenter and magnitude of the quake, automatically sending a warning to people who may feel the shock of the tremor. Although there is no more than a minute's notice, this may be enough to find shelter or evacuate. The technology can theoretically help people in areas where conventional warnings are not available.
The problem is that the system may have failed during a strong earthquake (magnitude 7.8). Even if it worked, it's unclear how many people should and do receive warnings in cases like this, let alone less serious incidents. Without more data, it's uncertain whether Android's earthquake alerts are reliable substitutes for traditional warnings broadcast on radio and television.
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