IIT Roorkee launches Earthquake Early Warning Mobile App

 Key Facts

• Earthquake early warning system will alert people regarding the onset of calamity on mobile application.
• It can detect onset of the Earthquake and issue warnings before significant tremors take place in state.
• This mobile app project was  sponsored by Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA).

Where it will be set up?

With the support of Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, this initiative was earlier started as a pilot project for Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. Later, it was extended by the Uttarakhand government. Under the project, sensors had been installed in high terrains of Garhwal and Kumaon regions of Uttarakhand.

How EEW provides warning?

Early warning system works on the basis of speed of the seismic waves, that propagate after release of stress from faults movement. Strong ground shaking is caused by shear waves. Shear waves travel at half speed as compared to primary waves and much slower than the electromagnetic signals. EEW system uses these waves to generate warning.

Central Server

Seismic data stream in the central server that has been established in EEW System laboratory. For data streaming, a high-speed telecommunication is used and high-performance computers compute scenario projections. Central server processes receive data continuously on 24 × 7 basis. It issues warning to public as and when detects that an earthquake of magnitude greater than 5 has occurred in earthquake prone areas. Warning time differs with the distance of any location from epicenter of the earthquake.