SEMINAR

ON

EARTHQUAKE ALERTS THROUGH

CELLPHONES

PRASENTED BY

B.VENKATESWARAMMA
ECE
ROLL NO:098U1A0404

based on property that

they

year

thousands

of people die because

an

earthquake

them

in

place

catches
dangerous

or during

defenseless

sleep.

Earthquake

alerts

through mobile services

could be more efficient
and

easier

approach

way
a

to
user.

Telestatistics

predicts

that there are over 51

million mobile users in
India. Portability

and

their

inexpensiveness

increase

the

speed and

ways of communication.
Energy

wave

released

at the epicenter of the

earthquake travels slower
(3.5 to 8 km/s)

than

light. Primary (P) waves

travel

very

fast,

Secondary(s)-waves
which
harmful

are

at

slower than

ABSTRACT
Every

travel

slower and
can

be

predicted before striking

rate

Primary (p)-

waves. Hence the alerts

can be sent before the
s -waves

reach

the

surface. This

system

uses earthquake

sensor

network,

decision alert

system,

dissemination

system. It simply
generates
when
earth

alert

the

level

of

vibrations

threshold
them

signals

and

to

SMS

passes

the users

via

services.

server

can

messages

at

40

cross

SMS
send

the

rate

messages/second,

and the time lapse for

taking

up

the

precautions

would

be

60 seconds,

which

are

enough

to

take

precautionary steps like

stopping

the

trains,

busses,

away

from

constructed

speed
to

run

poorly
buildings.

The possibility of false

reduced

alarms is also reduced

necessary

as

steps.

the

information

verified
Using

is

thoroughly.
this

safeguard
earthquakes

complete
against
cannot

be

assured but the number

of causalities could be

by

taking

penultimate

1.0 INTRODUCTION:
Earthquakes strike without
warning .The resulting

damage

can

the

fault

line

earthquake. It

caused

simply

the

monitors

the

earth

vibrations

saved, if the people living in the

signal

when

earthquake - prone area

vibrations crosses a threshold.

be

minimized

and

prepared

to survive

requires

strong

lives

ground

are already

the

warning

can be

motion

earthquake arrives. Such

the

from the
a

warning

the

generates alert
level of

earth

After receiving alert, a

strike. This
before

and

by

middle-aged

person

seconds

go

from

to

fifth

takes 30 to 40

down

floor . If

the
it

stairs

takes

the

minimum of 10 seconds to damage

the

a poorly structured house, these 10

epicenter of the earthquake travels

seconds too can be considered for

at a

going

system

is

possible

energy

wave

rate

because

released

slower

at

(at 3.5 to 8 km/s)

consider

than light.
The warning signal from
the

to

earthquake

epicenter

can

be

safer

place. If

these

earthquake

alert

occurrence

of

we

points, giving
before

the

actual

earthquake

can

transmitted to different places using

minimize casualties.

the satellite communication network,

2.0 EARTH QUAKES:

fiber optics

network, pager service,

A sudden, transient motion or trembling

cell phone service or a combination

of the earth's crust, resulting from the

of these. The satellite-based network

waves in the earth caused by faulting

is ideal if the alert system has to

of the rocks or by volcanic activity.

cover a large country like India.

2.1

For earthquake-prone states

like Gujarat, a seismic alert system

TYPES

spread
proposed

(GSM)

throughout
here. This

network
the
system

state is
does

not try to find the epicenter or

DEADLY

WAVES:
2.1.1 P-WAVES & S-WAVES:-

using the global system for mobile

communication

OF

When an earthquake
occurs, it releases energy in the form
of waves that radiate from that earthquake source in all directions. Different
types

of

energy

waves shake

the

Fig 2.1.1

ground in different ways and travel

through the earth at different ve-

p-waves

locities. The fastest waves are called

primary

(P)

waves.

These

are

& s-waves

Secondary (S)
the

characteristics

waves

have

similar to the

compressional in nature like sound

waves on the surface of water. These

wave, and

move

compress

and

expand

the

earth

down

perpendicular

waves

their motion. S waves are slower than

are not

P waves, moving at half the velocity of

nature.

P waves (4 km/second). Vertical ground

at

speed

km/second. These waves

destructive

in

of

the

and

material in their direction of travel. P

move

to

up

direction

of

motion generated by S waves is highly

damaging to the structures.

2.12 LOVE AND RAYLEIGH

WAVES:However most structural damage
is caused by surface waves that are
slower than S waves, called Love and
Rayleigh, these waves shake the ground
horizontally .Destruction also depends
on the frequency of ground vibrations. P
and S waves have higher frequency of
vibration, which shakes the low-rise
buildings. The Love and Rayleigh waves
have less than 1Hz vibrations, which
cause high rise buildings to vibrate.

FIG 3.1

According to the survey, the number

of cell phone subscribers in India are
51 millions.
Fig 2.2
Since slower waves which have more

2. They are small and portable. Thus

damaging characteristics reach distant

journey, he would get an alert signal.

places from epicenter much later, alerts

3.It is the faster means of transmitting

could decrease the causalities. Among

the messages.

the various possible alerts like alerts

4.Cell phones have full duplex. This

through radios, television, internet etc,

means that you can use one frequency

SMS alert through cell phones have

for talking and a second frequency,

following advantages.

separate frequency for listening. Both

even if user is away from city or on his

people on a cell phone can talk at once.

3.0

ADVANTAGES OF CELL

PHONES

OVER

OTHER

SERVICES:
4.0 COMMUNICATING THE
1.Telestatics predicts that Indias cell
phone

subscribers

exponentially everyyear

are

DANGER:

increasing
This GSM-based alert system monitors
the earth vibration using a strong motion
accelerometer at the earthquake-prone
area and broadcasts an alert message to
towns and villages through the cellphone
network existing throughout the state.
Here

mobile

phones

are

transmitters and receivers.

FIG 4.1

used

as

The communication system for earth-

at more than two or three places, located

quake alert comprises an earthquake sen-

40 to 50 km away from each other.

sor and interface unit, decision system

Each sensing location should have two

and alert dissemination network.

accelerometers placed two to three

meters away from each other. The

4.1Short message service:

purpose of installing two accelerometers

The short message service

at each place is to detect and eliminate

(SMS) of the GSM network allows one

the local vibration noise, which can give

to send a message consisting of a

false

maximum

alphanumeric

accelerometer. An interface unit, which

characters to or from a mobile station.

has to be developed, will monitor both

This service can be viewed as an

the accelerometers. It will act only when

advanced form of alphanumeric paging

both the accelerometers give the same

with a number of advantages. If the

signals.

subscriber's mobile unit is powered off

Since this is only an alert network and

or has left the coverage area, the

does not find out the location of the epi-

message is stored and offered back to the

center, only the discrete magnitude

subscriber when the mobile is powered

levels

on or has re-entered the coverage area of

magnitude above the preset threshold

the network. This ensures that the

level will be transferred to the mobile

message will be received.

receiver handset via short message

of

160

signals

will

(vibration)

be

detected

to

and

the

any

service (SMS). The handset, in turn, will

transfer it to the base transceiver stations
4.2Earthquake-sensor Network:

(BTS) if it is within 10 to 17 km of the

Earthquake sensors (strong

BTS. Otherwise, it may require a

motion accelerometers) are deployed at

repeater for transferring data to the

known epicenters (20 to 30 in numbers

cellphone network.

only for Gujarat), fault line zones and

The handset should have auto-dialling

earthquake-prone

Earthquake-

facility and be preloaded with a fixed di-

prone areas like Bhuj may have sensors

alling number and fixed message. When-

areas.

ever the handset gets a signal (pulse)

from the interface unit, it goes into the

This is possible if the SMS server of the

autodialling mode and transfers data to

mobile network is programmed for such

the network and waits for the next pulse

a facility. In fact, this type of facility

with the same number and message.

already exists in the GSM network in the

form of 'cell broadcast.' But it is not
advisable to disturb the main server
specially

for

this

system.

Another

application server may be included in the

network for the alert system, which will
work as the interface between the
network

(SMS)

server

and

the

transmitter located at different earthquake-prone areas or epicenters.

4.4 Interface Unit:
At the epicenter, the interface
unit triggers the handset as soon as it
receives P and S waves of the predefined
magnitude. The handset is always ready

FIG 4.2
4.3Decision system:
When an SMS is sent from the
mobile handset, it first goes to the SMS
server of the mobile network, then to the
destination receiver handset. If the same
message has to be sent to different
locations (receivers), the transmitter
handset has to dial different numbers for
different destinations.
But in this proposed system, on a single
transmission the message should go to
different predefined locations.

with the fixed message and destination

number. Here the destination is the
application server, which has been
included for the proposed system and
should be connected to the SMS server
of the mobile telephony (GSM) network.
It also acts as an interface between the
single source transmitter (epicenter) and
multiple receivers installed at different
towns and villages.
All the source handsets (placed at
different locations for sending the alert
messages) should be registered at the

application server. As soon as the appli-

network, the application server looks for

cation server receives an alert message

the look-up table for the numbers it has

(through the SMS server) from a particu-

to dial. As P wave is detected earlier than

lar registered source handset or transmit-

S wave, it will send alert-signals to the

ter, it first checks whether it is for P

nearby towns and villages within the

wave or S wave.

range of 50 to 100km.This will take 2 or

An epicenter will first send P

3 seconds.

wave, then S wave after a few seconds.

After a few seconds, the

Therefore the application server should

application server will receive another

know

message

alert message from the same epicenter. It

transmission that it is P wave and from

counts this as the message for S wave-

the second message that it is S wave.

this also confirms the earthquake.The

Accordingly, it looks for the respective

application server again goes through the

look-up table that contains destination-

look-up table to send the alert signal to

dialing numbers and passes the same to

different locations within 50 to 100 km.

the SMS server. The SMS server sends

Since earthquakes of a magnitude less

alert messages at the rate of 40 messages

than 5.5 on Richter scale hardly affect

per second (maximum capacity of the

the buildings, this system is designed to

existing mobile phone network) to all the

start

destinations through the GSM network.

earthquake magnitude is more than 5.5

Therefore in this mode it takes a

on

maximum of only one second for

threshold for sending the alert signals

sending the

can be decided by an experts' committee.

from

the

first

alert signals to the

predefined destinations.

sending
Richter

alert
scale.

signals
The

if

the

magnitude

If earthquake sensors at

As mentioned above, the

different epicenters are placed 40 to 50

application server should have look-up

km apart, an earthquake at a particular

tables for alert messages of P and S

epicenter will hit the other sensors as

waves. For example, if an earthquake

well after a few seconds because

sensor

detects P wave of the preset

earthquake waves move at around 3.5

magnitude and an alert message is sent

and 8 km/second. Consequently, other

to the application server through the

interface units will also start sending

(through the dial network) alert signals

the public or government offices. End-

to different locations as per the look-up

to-end communication delay will be very

table given in the application server.

less,

Therefore destination locations will get

(handsets) placed at different epicenters

alert signals every few seconds, which

are

confirms that a destructive earthquake

communication in SMS mode. For this, a

wave is moving on the earth from one

permanent

place to another.

application server) has to be given to the

4.5 Alert-dissemination network:

SMS server of the communication

provided
given

the

all

the
top

instruction

transmitters
priority
(through

for
the

As men tioned earlier, the

network so that whenever an alert mes-

alert-dissemination network is a simple

sage comes from the identified locations

cell phone network (GSM) in SMS

(registered to the application server), the

mode, which already exists in most of

server gives it the top priority and trans-

the states in India. Alert messages are

mits it to the destination immediately.

transferred to the destination handset

Time delay at the sensor

through the mobile network system in

location

includes

the

sensor

SMS mode. The receivers are installed at

(accelerometer) response time, circuit

different places as individual units or in

delay and processing time at the

groups. These should have an interface

interface unit to form the alert signal. At

unit to read the message and take action

a few tens of milliseconds, this is neg-

to disseminate the alert message to the

ligible.

public. The alert receivers could be

Time to transfer the alert signal

attached to the civil defense sirens and

from the epicenter to the application

broadcast systems, and also installed at

server will be a maximum of three

government offices that are responsible

seconds because the SMS server will

for disaster management.

give priority to this message.

5.0 TIME-TO-ALERT:

Once the alert signal (message) is

In this system, time-to-alert is

formed, the interface unit will transfer it

the time between the actual occurrence

to the transmitter. The transmitted mes-

of the earthquake at the sensing point

sage will be received by the application

and the audio or text message output at

server, then forwarded to the SMS

server. The SMS server will transfer the

now comes out to be six to eight

SMS message at the rate of 40 messages

seconds.

per second. The worst-case sum of the

Similarly, Morvi town (60 km away

time taken by all these components is

from Anjar) will get the alarm before 12

five to six seconds for a particular region

to 14 seconds for S wave and around 22

only.

seconds for P wave. Rajkot (110 km

The following examples give

away) will get the alarm before 27 to 30

an idea of how much time in advance

seconds for S wave, Viramgham (160

one can get the alarm signals before the

km away) before 40.6 seconds for S

strong ground motion from a large

wave, Ahmedabad before 62.1 seconds

earthquake arrives.

for S wave and Vadodara before 72.2

Suppose an earthquake sensor installed

seconds.

at Anjar first notices the earthquake's

approximate

ground motions at time To. If we take

earthquake waves varies with the soil

the worst case of destructive S wave, the

condition at different locations.

All

these

because

timings

are

the speed of

ground motion will hit the Bhachau village (30 km away from Anjar) after
around To + 8.6 seconds considering that
the speed of S wave is 3.5 km/second. If
we consider the worst-case transmission

6.0

ADVANTAGES OF THE

SYSTEM

time of six seconds, Bhachau will get the

alarm 2.6 seconds before the destructive

Audio alarms can be installed to

S wave reaches there.

alert people, but the action that

As Bhachau is within 50 km of Anjar,

individual can take with only a few

alert signals should be given on the ar-

seconds

rival of P wave because it is faster than S

minimal. Facilities with high-energy

wave and also depends on the distance

or

between the epicenter and sensors

(nuclear

installed at particular locations. So

operations, computers, oil pipelines,

another few seconds can be added to 2.6

refineries and gas distributions)

seconds. The alert transmission time

could be shut down.

of

warning

high-precision
power

may

be

machinery

plants,

airport

Trains

could

be

stopped.Fire

stations

and

hospital

rooms

alerted,

and

8.0 CONCLUSIONS

operation

This earthquake alert system senses

emergency

earthquake waves at potential earthquake

generators started.

zones,

As a poorly structured building

magnitude values to a central place via

takes at least five seconds to

GSM cell phone network, and uses

collapse, three seconds spent in

computer-based

transferring the S-wave alert signals

deliver alert signals to the identified

to the SMS server can still give

receivers placed at different towns and

enough time to seek safety

cities for both public and government

Alarming the population living in

consumption.

the downstream region of a large

The system is simple and could be

dam would be helpful.

configured with available resources in

The cost of an earthquake early

the country. Here, only concepts are

warning system is low compared to

described.

other measures (improvements of

feasibility study and experimentation are

rolling stock, rail/track system,

required to optimise the system and

embankments,

reduce the possibilities of false alarm.

tunnels,

bridges

interface

units

for

accelerometers and handsets are

not available in the market. So
these have to be developed
indigenously. .

Since the time of alert is less it

may lead to chaos and confusion.

decision

Detailed

www.howstuffworks.com

7.0 LIMITATIONS
The

these

9.0 REFERENCES:

etc.).

transmits

Casualties can be minimized but

we cannot overcome loss of
property.

www.weekipedia.com

discrete

making

to

simulation,