Earthquake alerts delivered to Android users in Türkiye, providing 30 seconds of advance warning before the tremor occurred.
Google's Earthquake Alert System Fails to Deliver Timely Warnings During Turkey Earthquakes
Google's Android Early Earthquake Alerts (AEA) system was not effective during the devastating earthquakes that hit Türkiye on February 6, 2023. The system, designed to send timely alerts before earthquakes, failed to deliver "Take Action" alerts to a significant number of users, potentially costing lives.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Kahramanmaras was the most devastating of the series. However, instead of receiving "Take Action" alerts, about 500,000 users in the affected area received a lower-level "Be Aware" notification. In contrast, approximately 10 million people should have received these high-priority alerts.
Google's system works by detecting earthquakes using motion sensors in Android smartphones. When many phones in a region detect shaking simultaneously, the system estimates the epicenter and magnitude, then sends alerts. It aims to supplement national alert systems but is not designed to replace them.
The system's failure to perform effectively during the Türkiye earthquakes can be attributed to its inability to accurately estimate the strength of the quakes and its inability to bypass "Do Not Disturb" mode for a significant number of users, potentially losing up to 35 seconds of potentially life-saving warning.
After these failures, Google acknowledged the system's shortcomings in Türkiye. The company has since improved its detection algorithms and resimulated the initial Turkey quake with better alerting results.
Experts note that earthquake early warning systems face challenges tuning algorithms for large magnitude events, especially where communication infrastructure may be affected by the quake.
The February 6 earthquakes were not limited to Kahramanmaras. A 6.1-magnitude earthquake also struck the Sindirgi district of Balikesir in western Türkiye. More than 16 collapsed buildings were detected in rural areas of Balikesir.
The earthquakes caused significant fear in the region and resulted in the loss of over 55,000 lives. One person lost their life after being trapped under debris.
In summary, while the system works effectively in many regions globally, the implementation and performance in Türkiye during the February 2023 Balikesir and Kahramanmaras earthquakes were insufficient to provide timely and widespread warnings, prompting Google to revise algorithms. The company's failure to deliver timely alerts during these catastrophic earthquakes highlights the need for continued improvement in earthquake early warning systems.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/technology/google-says-its-earthquake-alert-system-failed-turkey-2023-02-13/ [2] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64353671 [3] https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/14/23595206/google-earthquake-alert-system-turkey-earthquake-failures-improvements [4] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-11052-z [5] https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-earthquake-alert-system-failed-to-deliver-timely-warnings-in-turkey-earthquakes-11676485401
The Google Earthquake Alert System, originally intended to cover Türkiye, tragically failed to deliver timely "Take Action" alerts during the catastrophic earthquake that hit Kahramanmaras, Istanbul being one of the cities in Türkiye. The system's faulty detection of the magnitude of the earthquake and its inability to bypass "Do Not Disturb" mode may have cost lives in Syria, a neighboring country with close ties to Türkiye.
