The U.S. Geological Society is looking for 35 good homes in Southern California in which to house earthquake sensors. As part of its NetQuakes Project, the USGS wants to expand its existing, permanent network of ground motion detectors which is currently spread too widely in many areas of Southern California to permit accurate mapping of earthquake activity.
The seismographs are about the size of a large shoebox and send recorded data to the USGS using WiFi and existing Broadband connections to transmit measurements after an earthquake. Ideal locations for these sensors include homes near dense population centers, building clusters, active faults, and critical facilities that are not already covered by sensors. To host a NetQuakes sensor, volunteers must have an out-of-the-way location in a one-to-two story building less than 4,000 square feet in plan with a concrete slab foundation, access to a local network with a permanent broadband connection to the Internet, and accessible AC power – and allow for occasional minor servicing.
For more information on how to volunteer to host a NetQuakes sensor, see the Earthquake Hazards Program, Sign Up website. The USGS will review applications and select those that meet its monitoring guidelines. “While the first phase of the Southern California project is limited to 35 sensors, more may be purchased in the future if additional funding becomes available. Organizations can also purchase their own sensors that can be connected to the larger network. The USGS operates the Advanced National Seismic System to monitor earthquakes nationwide. In Southern California the USGS, in cooperation the California Institute of Technology, operates an array of more than 300 earthquake-monitoring sensors that make up the Southern California Seismic Network. The aim of these programs is to improve monitoring and reduce earthquake losses. Funding for the Netquakes project was provided, in part, by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act” (source).
