About 10 million people in Turkey in February 2023 could have figured out there was going to be a devastating earthquake and maybe up to half a minute to find a safe place if Google’s early warning system was expected.
But it didn’t work. It took more than two years for this company to be recognised.
Only 469 users received an action alert (immediate action) designed for high-risk situations. Such situations, of course, include magnitude 7.8, which was the first pulse of the Turkish earthquake.
These notifications override the “do not disturb” mode and are accompanied by a loud sound that can wake people who are sleeping, which will probably save the lives of many.
The earthquake started at 4:17 local time on 6 February. Many people were currently asleep, which is why there were so many casualties: more than 55,000 people were killed and more than 100,000 were injured.
Google reported on the Air Force that they had a less urgent alert – be aware (be alert), which warns of possible shocks. The smartphone considers such alerts a lower priority than “do not disturb”. In Turkey, about 70 per cent of the population uses such devices.
The principle of earthquake detection is based on the fact that smartphones capture motion and work like accelerometers – devices that measure changes in the speed of an object. If the phone detects something that looks like an earthquake, it sends a signal to an earthquake server along with an approximate location.
The server summarises the data sent from many phones and this allows you to determine if an earthquake is happening in a certain region and how strong it is, then Android users. CrisisResponese.google.
As explained in Google’s crisal, both types of messages, take action and Beaare designed for earthquakes of magnitude greater than 4.5.
The modified Mercalli scale, which is used mainly in the United States, is also taken into account. It determines the intensity of an earthquake on external grounds because intensity depends not only on magnitude but also on the depth of the source, distance to the epicentre, rocks in the area and other factors. Action notification occurs at intensities greater than MMI 5.
In the case of the massive earthquake in Turkey, Google’s early notification system worked, but underestimated the strength of the shocks. Technology.
However, for months, in rural areas, our correspondents could not find a single person who would receive an action message before the first powerful pulse – despite hundreds of people being interviewed.
People weren’t notified, they were focused on other things, so they didn’t pay attention to the warning.
However, the company has since conducted a study and the results have been published in Science. They recognise that the warning system is flawed.
The first quake had a magnitude of 7.8, and the system rated it between 4.5 and 4.9. The second powerful earthquake, which occurred on the same day, also underestimated: a notification of action taking 8158 phones, and keep in mind getting about four million users.
Google researchers then changed the algorithm and re -modelled the first earthquake. This time, the system sent 10 million reports to those who were in the zone of greatest risk, and another 67 million messages know those who lived further from the epicentre.