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A Cheap, Ubiquitous Earthquake Warning System

Posted by Soulskill on from the if-you-check-your-cellphone-immediately dept.

Tekla Perry writes: Earthquake alert systems that give a 10 or 20 second warning of an impending temblor, enabling automatic systems to shut down and people to take cover, are hugely expensive to build and operate. (One estimate is $38.3 milllion for equipment to span California, and another $16.1 million annually to operate.) But a Palo Alto entrepreneur thinks he's got a way to sense earthquakes and provide alerts far more cheaply and with much greater resolution. And he's got money from the National Science Foundation to begin the first test of his system — covering the Bay Area from Santa Cruz to Napa and the cities of Hollister, Coalinga, and Parkfield. He starts that test next month.

2 of 101 comments (clear)

  1. What am I missing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Hmm... let me think... $38.3M one time and $16.1M/year in maintenance does sound like pocket cash to me, given the population at risk here...

    1. Re:What am I missing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That was my thought too. $38 mil is nothing for california, and given the upside (lots of people not dying horribly), it seems worth funding.

      To put in perspective, last year CA made $82m on cigarette taxes alone and plans to spend about 10.3 billion in public safety spending 2015. I think $36m for this cause could easily be raised and appropriated.

      Hell, just fully legalize pot and let the taxes on that pay for it. Who's onboard?