Bannari Amman Institute of Technology Bannari Amman Institute of Technology

Sathyamangalam-638401. Sathyamangalam-638401.
DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
PAPER PRESENTATION IN PAPER PRESENTATION IN
SEISMIC ALERT THROUGH GSM NETWORK SEISMIC ALERT THROUGH GSM NETWORK
( Wireless Networks and Security) ( Wireless Networks and Security)
For For
Cyber 06 Cyber 06
Department of Department of COMPUTER SCIENCE COMPUTER SCIENCE
ENGINEERING ENGINEERING
THIAGARAJAR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
MADURAI-625015.
AUTHORS AUTHORS
SIVA SUBRAMANIAM. B SIVA SUBRAMANIAM. B
( (siva_nptm@yahoo.com siva_nptm@yahoo.com) )
PRASATH K PRASATH K
FIFTH SEMESTER FIFTH SEMESTER
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SEISMIC ALERT THROUGH GSM NETWORK
ABSTRACT :
Every year not just in hundreds but in thousands, people loss their lives by earthquake.
Till now no equipment has been designed to predict that earthquake is going to occur or to
alert the people even after the quake waves hit the epicenter at a harder or at any rate. But
knowingly these quake waves, after striking the epicenter, propagates as concentric encircles
at a velocity of 3.5 to 8 km/s. So using an alerting medium having faster propagation rate
than this velocity, we can alert the people. Thus this proposes the use of satellite
communication network, fibre-optics network, pager service, cell phone service or
combination of these to get into the alerting network. Because light, the medium of
communication in all these, has a much greater velocity of 3x10
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m/sec. This paper comes
out with a GSM-based seismic alert system that could warn before an earthquake strikes the
outer region of the epicenter. But this is not used to alert the epicenter region as it is only a
detector of earthquake and not a predictor. Here only concepts are discussed. Detailed study,
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feasibility of operation and experimentation are required to optimize the system. And
notably, this system can only minimize the casualties and not to shun the whole.
CONTENTS
The coverage areas of this paper are briefed under these below listed topics

Deadly waves P, S & Surface waves
Damaging characteristics
Communicating the danger
Earthquake-sensor network SMS & BTS
Decision system Cell Broadcast
Alert-dissemination network
Time-to-alert
Main beneficiaries
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Limitations
To sum up

DEADLY WAVES :
The same quake waves are described here as deadly waves. When an earthquake
occurs, it releases energy in the form of waves and that radiate from the source in all
directions at different velocities. These are classified into three types based on their
characteristics and behavioral nature. They are Primary waves (P waves), Secondary waves
(S waves) and Surface waves. P waves are the fastest among these which are traveling at 8
km/s. These are compressive in nature like sound waves and hence compress and expand the
materials in their direction they travel. S waves travels at a velocity of 4 km/s. This has the
similar characteristics to the waves on the surface of water. Thus it moves earth up and
down perpendicular to the direction of travel. Surface waves have the lesser velocity of 3.5
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km/s. These waves are sub-categorized as Love and Rayleigh waves that shake the ground
horizontally. Most structural damages are caused by these waves only.
DAMAGING CHARACTERISTICS :
Destruction also depends upon 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 under surface waves category have less than 1 Hz vibrations which cause
high-rise buildings to vibrate. Thus it is said before that surface waves has the most
structural damaging characteristics. But we have to consider one fact here that slower waves
which have more damaging characteristics, reach distant places much later. So we can easily
alert these waves around the epicenter region after its strike.
In 1985, Mexico City which is 322 km away from the local epicenter got the
earthquake attack after 70 seconds. Ahmedabad which is 370 km away from Bhuj was
attacked after 80 seconds on January 26, 2001.Under these above mentioned accidental
incidents we can prove this hypothesis of alerting people around the epicenter.
COMMUNICATING THE DANGER :
This GSM based alert system monitors the earth vibrations using a strong motion
accelerometer at the earthquake-prone areas and broadcasts an alert message to towns and
villages through the cellphone network existing throughout the state. Here mobile phones
are used as the transmitters and receivers. The communication system comprises an
earthquake sensor and interface unit, decision system and alert-dissemination network. This
is clearly exposed in the network shown below.
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A MODEL LAYOUT OF GSM ALERT SYSTEM
EARTHQUAKE SENSOR NETWORK :


Earthquake sensors (strong motion accelerometers) are deployed at epicenters, fault line
zones and earthquake-prone areas. Sensors may be located at 40 to 50 km away from each
other. To detect and eliminate the local vibration noise which can give false signal, two
accelerometers are installed. The interface unit monitoring both accelerometers will act if it
gets the same signal from them. This doesnt find out the location of epicenter. Only the
discrete magnitude levels will be detected and any magnitude above the preset threshold
level will be transferred to the mobile receiver through SMS. That handset in turn will
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Recievers
Personal
recievers
Siren
Mobile phone
(GSM) network
SMS server
Application
server
epicenter
Sensors and
interface
Accelerometer
Interface unit Mobile
handset
EARTHQUAKE SENSOR NETWORK
Accelerometer
transfer it to the Base Tranciever Station (BTS) if it is within 10-17 km or else it requires
repeaters. SMS handles about 160 alphanumeric characters. By auto-dialing mode available
in the handsets, a preloaded fixed message is transferred to fixed dialing numbers. This
processes only after getting signal pulse from the interface unit.
DECISION SYSTEM CELL BROADCAST :
When an SMS is sent from the mobile handset, it first goes to the SMS server of the
mobile network, and then to the destination receiver handset. In this proposed system, on a
single transmission, the message should go to different predefined location. This type of
facility exists already in the GSM network in the form of cell broadcast.
Instead of disturbing the main server especially for this system, another application server
may be included. This application server after getting message from the transmitter handset
checks whether it is for P or S waves. The application server should know from the first
message transmission that it is P waves and from the second message that it is S waves.
Accordingly it looks for the respective look-up table that contains destination dialing
numbers and passes the same to the server. The server sends the alert messages at the rate of
40 messages per second. Therefore it takes maximum of only one second for sending the
alert signals to the predefined destination. Instead of SMS, if cell broadcast is used, the rate
of sending the alert message is more because it handles 93 characters .
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This cell broadcast facility is now used in application of traffic congestion warnings
and reports on accidents. By counting the messages at the application server, earthquake can
be confirmed. Since earthquake of magnitude greater than 5.5 Richter scale hardly affect the
buildings, this system is designed to start sending alert signals if the magnitude is greater
than this level. Consequently by tracing the message from different locations, we can trace
the earthquake. This also confirms the destructive earthquake.
ALERT-DISSEMINATION NETWORK :
An alert-dissemination network - a simple network in SMS mode which already exists
in most of the states in India. The alert messages are transferred to the destination handsets
through mobile network system in SMS mode. The receivers are installed at different places
as individual units or groups. This should have interface unit to read the message and take
action to disseminate the alert message to the public. The alert receivers should be attached
to the civil defence sirens on broadcast system and also installed at government offices that
are responsible for disaster management.
TIME-TO-ALERT :
Is it really possible to escape after getting the message? Yes, from the following
considerations. A middle-aged person will take about 35 to 40 seconds to get down from the
fifth floor and about 70 seconds to get down from the tenth floor. Even a poorly structured
house will take about 10 seconds to collapse completely. Thus even a minute before alert
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will save thousands of life. Here time-to-alert is the time between the earthquake occurrence
and the message output by giving top priority for communicating in SMS mode through
application server. End-to-end communication delay will be very less. Time to transfer alert
signal to the application server will be maximum of three seconds. At worst case it takes
about 5 to 6 seconds.
MAIN BENEFICIARIES :
Audio alarms can be installed to alert people. Even a few seconds of warning could be
used effectively by most people for seeking position of relative safety in the immediate area
such as under a desk or door way .
Facilities with high energy or high precision machinery (nuclear power plants, air port
operation computers, oil pipe lines, oil refineries, gas distributions) could be shutdown.
Trains could be stopped, fire stations, hospital operation rooms alerted and emergency
generators are started.
LIMITATIONS :
The interface unit for accelerometer and handset are not available in the market so
these have to be developed indigenously. Seismology divisions of various government
organizations are working on a similar type of system for the measurement of earth
vibrations using accelerometer or seismograph. Look-up tables for destination handset
numbers can also be developed by IMD, NGRI and IAP.
Even if a BTS is situated at the epicenter it takes about 5 seconds to collapse. But it is
already mentioned that just 3 seconds is enough to transfer the alert message. So the alert
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messages can be received successfully. This alert message cannot be utilized for the safety
of epicenter and this is only to minimize the casualities and not to avoid completely.
TO SUM UP :
This earthquake alert system senses earthquake waves at potential earthquake zones,
transmits these discrete magnitude value to the centre place via GSM cellphone network ,
and uses computer based decision making to deliver alert signals to the identified receivers
placed at different towns and cities for the both public and government consumptions. The
system is simple and could be configured with available resources in the country. Here, only
concepts are described. Detailed simulation, feasibility study and experimentation are
required to optimize the system and reduce the possibilities of false alarm.
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