Thread: Did the earth move for you? Now you can check with your Android phone

Google has started using the vast number of Android smartphones across the planet to help detect and warn people about seismic events. Your phone will begin transmitting accelerometer data if it detects something similar to an earthquake.
Accelerometer data from a single phone might not mean much, but patterns of activity across thousands of handsets in a given area can be monitored in real time to get a clear enough picture in the aggregate. It won't be as accurate as a network of seismometers, but it'll cover vastly more of the planet than those can, and give enough information to be instantly useful.
That usefulness will come in the form of instant earthquake alerts for people outside the immediate epicenter of a large seismic event. As Google puts it, they're racing the light-speed signals from all those phones against the speed of earthquake propagation, and if that means people get a big flashing alert on their phone a few seconds before the shaking starts, people can be that much better prepared.
Earthquake warnings will begin in California first, where the system can be tested against the state's existing seismometer network, and will roll out to further states and countries over the coming year.
The data will also be used to create quickly accessible information pages that can be accessed simply by googling "earthquake" or "earthquake near me," letting people quickly confirm what they've just felt, learn more about the location and scale of the event, and access resources on what to do after an earthquake.
It's a neat repurposing of Google's vast resources and the enormous number of Android handsets out in the wild.

Android phones to become the world'''s biggest earthquake detection grid

Oh, it's China who's spying.

Bad huawei bad

Oh yes, you can tell a lot about someone's intellectual property from their accelerometer.

You fucking idiot.

Did the earth move for you while typing this comment? What does Google say?

Sounds a bit dodgy to me. How's it going to distinguish between all the other movements. Fucker even counts my steps these days.

Originally Posted by YourDaddy

Did the earth move for you while typing this comment? What does Google say?

It says you are a fucking idiot. So does Bing.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

It says you are a fucking idiot. So does Bing.

If I didn't bump your thread with my idiot post you'd get zero replies.

Feel better..... Or worse?

Originally Posted by YourDaddy

If I didn't bump your thread with my idiot post you'd get zero replies.

Feel better..... Or worse?

The fact that it's troubling you is most amusing.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

The fact that it's troubling you is most amusing.

Feel better?

Dearie me, the very existence of this thread nags at you, doesn't it?

Because it's earth shattering awesome

Looking forward to your next earth moving reply.