Your Android Phone and Earthquakes in Loja Ecuador
Did you know that your phone is part of the largest seismic detection network in the world? Two billion Android-based phones are in use globally and most are capable of notifying Google's Crisis Response System when they detect a possible earthquake. It is actually a fairly simple setup. The phones make use of their built-in accelerometer and gyroscope functions to recognize out-of-the-ordinary movements. For example, you might have a phone that sends an alert if it detects a sudden deceleration like in a car crash, or sends an alert if it senses that you have fallen down and can't get up. The same sensors can detect the vibrations and their speed which are created by a geologic tremor. The cellphones then send these signals to Google's detection servers over the internet. Google analyzes the signals being received from multiple sources and based on the location of these phones generates an approximate location of the event. An alert is then issued to other phones in the ar
