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It wasn't clear to me why so many sources describing this as an "Android" feature. It felt like a PR push, but maybe I'm wrong. This article caused me to pick t
by rconti 4y ago
It wasn't clear to me why so many sources describing this as an "Android" feature. It felt like a PR push, but maybe I'm wrong. This article caused me to pick that apart a little bit.
* The data comes from ShakeAlert (USGS).
* The alerts can be sent to your Android or iOS phone via the MyShake app
* According to Wikipedia, 3 apps are licensed to work with USGS ShakeAlert: "QuakeAlertUSA", "MyShake", and "SD Emergency" (San Diego). [1]
What's the reason Android keeps getting such a plug here?
Best I can see:
* Android has built-in functionality to alert users, so they don't have to take the proactive step of downloading an app. Presumably any system that's opt-in is going to be far less valuable (I imagine not even 5% of iOS users have an earthquake alerting app, even in CA, let alone nationwide/worldwide).
* Android phones are auto-participating in uploading data to the ShakeAlert system (somehow), when plugged in and locked. I think this is really neat tech and has a ton of promise, although it's unclear to me if it is of great value to ShakeAlert in a state that's presumably well-instrumented by precision sensors already.
Great use cases:
* More people being notified is more value. Most people don't bother to download an earthquake app, particularly if elderly, or traveling from a non-quake-prone region to a quake-prone region.
* Detection in more sparsely populated areas or areas not well-covered by precision instruments.
Concerns:
* Being auto-opted-in. Today: Earthquakes. Tomorrow: Shotspotter (gunshot location). Next year: protests against our tech overlords.
1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ShakeAlert#MyShake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ShakeAlert#MyShake
- hulitu 4y ago> What's the reason Android keeps getting such a plug here? Maybe Google paid for it.
- jakear 4y agoNever forget the Submarine. http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html
- jrmg 4y agoI got an alert through the emergency alert system on my iPhone (during the quake though, not before it, but the report said that was also true of some Android alerts). I don’t have an app installed that was responsible for it.
- smcin 4y agoYes the alert gets sent to every cellphone user. Not just those who installed the ShakeAlert app. Whereas actually installing the ShakeAlert app helps improve crowdsourced early warnings on intensity and location. It is absolutely not necessary to install the ShakeAlert app to get the alerts. But it is a good civic-minded thing, and it does not compromise privacy.
- rconti 4y agoInteresting. I only got it via the MyShake app on my iPhone (Apple watch, actually). I can't imagine there's logic to disable the EWS alert for something I got a push notification for. Or maybe I'm remembering wrong.
- smcin 4y agoYes all attribution should be to ShakeAlert and their research partners (USGS + universities), I cite the URL above. Not attributed to "Google" or "Apple", no more than we ascribe JK Rowling's works to her word processor manufacturer. > More people being notified is more value. Most people don't bother to download an earthquake app, particularly if elderly, or traveling from a non-quake-prone region to a quake-prone region. There are two separate considerations to cellphone-based Earthquake Early Warning: 1. even a small percent of local people installing the ShakeAlert app give decent coverage to everyone. Remember the USGS already also have fixed (non-cellphone) sensors [https://www.usgs.gov/programs/earthquake-hazards/monitoring https://www.usgs.gov/programs/earthquake-hazards/monitoring] and I expect transit and other govt agencies too, anyone got a links? 2. then cellphones get used to immediately send (opt-in) early warning alerts to all cellphone users (not just users who installed ShakeAlert), freeway alert signs for drivers, transit passengers, etc.
- sebag1507 4y agoGoogle’s system uses a combination of ShakeAlert signals and proprietary technology. ShakeAlert is only used in California, Washington, and Oregon. You can read more: - https://blog.google/products/android/earthquake-detection-and-alerts/ https://blog.google/products/android/earthquake-detection-an... https://blog.google/products/android/earthquake-detection-and-alerts/ https://blog.google/products/android/earthquake-detection-an... https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/28/22407676/google-expands-android-earthquake-detection-system https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/28/22407676/google-expands-a...
- smcin 4y agoSelf-correction: my friend who knows people who worked on this tells me: turns out Google did implement some specific seismic signal-processing in Android API around 2016/7.