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USGS Develops Twitter-Based Earthquake Detection
sprinkletown writes "A team of seismologists at the US Geological Survey has found that Twitter is the fastest way to get information out of an earthquake area, especially in those less densely populated. Seeing the Twitter community as an untapped resource, the USGS has developed a new way to track earthquakes by clustering quake-centric tweets."
I've used Twitter's search before (out of desperation) when my wife thought that we had an earth quake and I didn't.
To my surprise just 3 minutes later (time it took me to exhaust regular search engines), someone tweeted that they're having an earthquake a few miles away from where we live.
Since that day I've been using Twitter's search to find up to the minute updates for topics that interest me (Intel's SSD firmware bug, conferences, etc.).
I think Twitter is shaking up to be a very good source of news/information, if you can manage to find gems in the pile of "I just landed. WOOT!" tweets.
If you can't mod them join them.
Twitter users can be repurposed as sensors for vibration, voltage and even temperature!
http://michaelsmith.id.au
You're a few hours late, but yes, we did have a magnitude 4.2 earthquake here in the Bay Area this morning. Of course, I'm from Cleveland, so I just assumed it was another big truck passing by the building, until I realized that I was nowhere near a major road.
I was impressed, though, at how quickly the USGS did send us all an e-mail detailing the quake, epicenter, magnitude, etc. They are certainly on the ball when it comes to the San Andreas fault, at least.
Now if we could only find a way to get advance warnings... unfortunately a time machine may be the most physically feasible method of doing that.
>> Standing on head makes smile of frown, but rest of face also upside down.
it's a web site and you can put small messages on it that other people can read. That's all it is and ever was.
I share your sentiment, but realize, HTTP is a method of transferring files. That's all it is and ever was.
HTML is a method of marking up content. That's all it is and ever was.
Instant Messaging is just email, but faster. That's all it is and ever was. ...until you realize that it's not the technology behind it, but how people use it, that make it what it is. When Twitter is used as a blog site, it's exactly as useless as you suggest. When it's used as a conversation, that's somewhat different.
So no, I don't use it, but I think I'm starting to get what it's about.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
A automated, networked, accelerometer-based quake detection process may be more reliable. Sure, a lot of mobile phones would be moving around, but if enough phones in the same areas showed synchronised movements, maybe this could work.
Those are called "seismographs."
The area concerned was heavily industrial, so it mattered to me what was on fire because of potiential fumes.
Twitter is fast and useful for that occasional use. Which is why the army of constant micro-bloggers needs to be encouraged. We can then tap into their otherwise pointless garbage about everything that happens every moment of their lives. Because when something does happen, they will tweet about that.
This is a really bad idea because Twitter can so easily be utilized to spread misinformation. Look at all the "x is dead!!!!!!!!!!!!" shit that happens with celebrities.
When you have lived in California long enough you'll learn that:
1) Tremors move through the Earth's crust just a little bit faster than the speed of sound. To put this in perspective, it's perhaps just about 50-70% faster than a modern jet airliner cruising at high altitude.
2) If you've ever watched a modern jet airliner cruising at high altitude you know that telephone communication, radio and television, and even the internet travel much faster.
3) Following a fairly large earthquake, there will usually be a series of light to moderate aftershocks from which you can calibrate your understanding of the speed of tremors.
4) For instance, if talking across town on the telephone you will often notice that there is a substantial delay between one feeling the tremor and the other feeling the tremor.
5) The more substantial the delay between when one feels the tremor and when the other feels the tremor, the more substantial the difference in level of excitement that will be displayed. The first to feel the tremor will be the more excited party.
6) The epicenters of the aftershocks are not always in the same place, so it is possible that two observers talking on the telephone will reverse roles between (excited) and (calm) on subsequent tremors, sometimes even during a single telephone call.
7) During the period of frequent aftershocks, one of the most enjoyable things you can do is climb to the top of a small hill overlooking a large flat valley and watch the effects of the tremor propagate across the terrain. Unforgetable majesty.
8) These effects may be noted during/following a light to moderate aftershock, however, all bets are off during a large earthquake. You may wonder why a radio or television went off the air or why the power went off until you feel the tremor. But if you feel a huge earthquake first, you will lose power smartly and fail to hear when the radio station finally goes off the air.
I've been within a few thousand feet of the epicenter of four 6.0 or larger earthquakes during my adult life. Never once have I heard anyone scream during a major earthquake. I've heard people scream for 3.0 or smaller aftershocks, however. People are on edge already when aftershocks hit, and behavior changes.
Following the end of the 1994 Northridge quake, the first words out of my mouth were "Good one!", and my wife in effect said immediately "the baby's still asleep", but the extensive house repairs were not completed until four months after workmen began.
Seriously. This is the sort of thing twitter is really good at.
It's not knowing what Britney is eating for breakfast. Or how much a SKANK Malinda next door is. Or how much a bastard Billy is, oh but he's such a hunk. Or what color Aston K's turds are.
Thank goodness twitter popularity is dying.
That reminds me of the oil light on a Lincoln Continental. It lights up, then a few seconds later, your engine seizes!
A few seconds warning sometimes just adds to the drama of the inevitable. In the relativity of time, that means if we got a few hours warning of an imminent asteroid impact, it would just be enough time maybe for a little mass-hysteria and to kiss your family good-bye. :)
Generally useless.
The shock waves do indeed travel slower than light, but messages would take at least several seconds to be relayed, transmitted, received, and read by a human. An email in my office takes about six seconds to be routed within the building, let alone over a variety of wireless networks. A realtime message might make it out in under a second, but we're talking about shock waves that travel at 15,000-30,000mph and faster, with an damage radius on big quakes of 40 to 60 miles.
A middle case, say, 50 miles at 25k mph is about 7 seconds until the last person at risk feels it. If the message sent out is any longer than the word "earthquake!", the message generation, transmission, receipt, and processing by that guy's brain will end right at the same time the ground starts moving. And everybody closer than him will know before they get the message.
That's even assuming instant identification of an earthquake. In reality, it takes a few seconds to confirm the readings. So even that guy on the outer edge of the damage radius won't realistically get the message in time to do anything before the shaking begins.
People further out, who will feel the quake but aren't at any substantial risk of significant damage might get a few seconds' notice, but they don't really benefit from a warning in the first place, given their relatively minor inconvenience. It's like telling people on the extreme periphery as a hurricane makes landfall that it's going to start raining in a few seconds because a hurricane is making landfall somewhere else. They're not the ones who need the warning.
TWITTER
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3. intr. To move tremulously, tremble, shake, quiver, shiver...
So, for an alternative article summary: the USGS will use twitterers on Twitter who are twittering about twittering.
[cue chorus of groans]
Twitter is fast and useful for that occasional use. Which is why the army of constant micro-bloggers needs to be encouraged. We can then tap into their otherwise pointless garbage about everything that happens every moment of their lives. Because when something does happen, they will tweet about that.
Please do me a favor and don't encourage micro-bloggers. The last thing I need is some dumb-ass walking into the IT field claiming to be a "professional" when the only thing on the resume is "Logged over 200,000 tweets" and "Level 233 Vampire"