Shaving seconds off disaster warning in Japan


Posted on August 28, 2007  /  3 Comments

Japan planning world’s first nationwide earthquake warning system – International Herald Tribune

It’s still beyond the reach of science to predict exactly when an earthquake will strike, but Japan will soon get the next-best thing — televised warnings that come before the shaking starts.

In an ambitious attempt at protecting large populations from seismic disaster, Japan’s Meteorological Agency and national broadcaster are teaming up to alert the public of earthquakes as much as 30 seconds before they hit, or at least before they can bring their full force down on populated areas.

The system — the first of its kind in the world — cannot actually predict quakes, but officials say it can give people enough time to get away from windows that could shatter, or turn off ovens and prevent fires from razing homes.

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3 Comments


  1. Donald Gaminitillake

    Pls read

    Ten seconds to duck ‘n’ cover
    How to use the government’s new earthquake warning system

    http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fs20070821a3.html

    Donald

  2. NTT’s ‘Killer’ IPv6 App a Potential Lifesaver

    In Japan, NTT is working with the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) on an emergency earthquake alert service built on IPv6.

    read — http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3722731

  3. Japan’s earthquake warning system fails again — A magnitude-6.7 earthquake that struck on 8 May less than 200 kilometres northeast of Tokyo caused only minor damage, but it took a heavy toll on the public’s confidence in Japan’s earthquake warning system — http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080514/full/news.2008.824.html