AI system
- System
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Android Earthquake Alerts System (crowdsourced phone-accelerometer detection; alerts for magnitude 4.5 and above)
- Model
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Not assessed
- Release
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Not assessed
- Application developer
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Google - Role
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Not assessed
- Configuration
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Not assessed
- Inputs and outputs
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Not assessed
- Autonomy
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Not assessed
- Workflow
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A magnitude 5.1 (AFAD 5.3) quake above the 4.5 alert threshold, centered about 57 km offshore and roughly 40 km deep. So the push alert could outrun the slower S-waves to the coast. Enough Android phones near the epicenter with Earthquake Alerts on to trigger Google's server-side detection. Per Google's 3 February 2022 presentation it runs on Android 5.0 and later and users can switch it off. Crowdsourced phone detection was the only input: Google partners with the ShakeAlert seismic network only in California, Oregon and Washington.
- Human oversight
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Not assessed
- Relation to AI
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The alert was produced end to end by Google's system. Accelerometer triggers from many phones were combined on Google's servers to detect the quake and estimate its size. Alerts were pushed to phones in the expected shaking zone ahead of the slower S-waves. Google's own descriptions of this process do not use the words AI or machine learning. The OECD Monitor classifies it as an AI system doing event detection and forecasting, and the 2025 Science paper calls it smartphone-based earthquake detection algorithms. The reported lead time varies by outlet (seconds, about 10 seconds, about one minute); Google promises seconds.
- AI contribution
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The alert was produced end to end by Google's system. Accelerometer triggers from many phones were combined on Google's servers to detect the quake and estimate its size. Alerts were pushed to phones in the expected shaking zone ahead of the slower S-waves. Google's own descriptions of this process do not use the words AI or machine learning. The OECD Monitor classifies it as an AI system doing event detection and forecasting, and the 2025 Science paper calls it smartphone-based earthquake detection algorithms. The reported lead time varies by outlet (seconds, about 10 seconds, about one minute); Google promises seconds.
Benefits
- Outcome identifiers
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Not assessed
- Benefit
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Hürriyet put the lead at about 10 seconds
- Category
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Increased Product Safety
- Status
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Not assessed
- Beneficiary groups
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People.
- Beneficiaries
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Not assessed
- Reach
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Not assessed
- Distribution and access
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Not assessed
- Duration
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Not assessed
- Expected?
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Yes
- Costs and harms
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Not assessed
Measurement
- Studies
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Not assessed
- Study design
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Not assessed
- Measurement
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Not assessed
- Setting and sample
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Not assessed
- Measures
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Hürriyet put the lead at about 10 seconds
- Comparison
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Not assessed
- Results
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Hürriyet put the lead at about 10 seconds
- Additional value from AI
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Not assessed
- Limitations
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Not assessed
- Denominators
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Not assessed
- Materials for replication
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Not assessed
Money
- Kind of value
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Not assessed
- Amount
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Not assessed
- Currency and prices
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Not assessed
- Period and unit
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Not assessed
- Realization
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Not assessed
- Recipients and payers
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Not assessed
- Gross or net
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Not assessed
- Included costs
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Not assessed
- Comparison
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Not assessed
- Method
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Not assessed
- Return and payback
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Not assessed
People and places
- Participants
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Developer:
Google. Operator: Google. - Jurisdictions
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Benefit: Alanya,
Turkey. Developer: 
United States. Operator: United States. - Ownership and control
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Not assessed
- Dependencies
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Not assessed
- Cross-border connections
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Not assessed
- Geopolitical implications
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Not assessed
Follow-up
- Conditions for replication
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The server's magnitude and location estimate must be right and early. The 2025 Science paper reports only 36% of alert recipients got the alert before shaking. Recipients must know what to do with seconds of notice. Hürriyet reported on 7 January 2022 that most users who posted about the Alanya alert said they panicked. The phone must have location and the Earthquake Alerts setting enabled.
- Replication attempts
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Not assessed
- Later findings
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3 February 2022. At a 3 February 2022 press event Google said the Android system had alerted users to the two January quakes centered on Alanya and Balıkesir.
- Availability
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Not assessed
- Institutional decision
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Not assessed
- Grounds
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Not assessed
- Action and result
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Not assessed
- Success criterion
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Not assessed
Evidence
- Source numbers
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AIBD-0111-source-0001–0014
- Citations
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Numbered references below.
- Language
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Not assessed
- Source relationships
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Independent, Developer
- Original evidence
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Not assessed
- Access and versions
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Not assessed
- Supported findings
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Not assessed
- Evidence links
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Not assessed
- Evidence strength
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Not assessed
- Missing evidence
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Not assessed
Grades
- Assessed benefits
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People.
- Depth
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People: 1.
- Reasons
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People: An unstated number of Android users near Alanya received a few seconds' audible and visual notice of the quake. AFAD and the district governor said it caused no damage or injuries. No protective action by a recipient is documented. Hürriyet reported on 7 January 2022 that most users who posted about the alert said they panicked.
- Observed or intended
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Not assessed
- Rubric
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Not assessed
- Assessor and date
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Not assessed
- Alternative assessments
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Not assessed
- Fill
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Independently reported
Entry details
- Kind
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Not assessed
- Related entries
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Not assessed
- Field
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Disaster risk reduction / earthquake early warning. Consumer smartphones (Android).
- Purpose
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Built to detect earthquakes from Android phones' accelerometers and alert users in the expected shaking zone seconds before the slower destructive waves arrive. It covers quakes of magnitude 4.5 and above. This alert was that intended function.
- Dates
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Date basis unassessed: 2022 (precision unassessed). Updated: 22 October 2026.
- Stage
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Not assessed
- Version
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SHA-256: 65b16e850751…
References
- Other identifiers
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oecd_aim: 2022-01-18-136b.
- Category mappings
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Not assessed
- Brief
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Not assessed
- Revisions
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6 revisions. Latest: 22 October 2026.
Sources
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Peer-reviewed study Developer
Allen RM, Barski A, Berman M, et al. (2025). Global earthquake detection and warning using Android phones. Science 389(6757):254-259.
User feedback shows that 85% of people receiving an alert felt shaking, and 36, 28, and 23% received the alert before, during, and after shaking, respectively.
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Dataset Independent author
U.S. Geological Survey (2022). M 5.1 - 67 km SSW of Okurcalar, Turkey (event us7000g94d). USGS Earthquake Hazards Program.
M 5.1 - 67 km SSW of Okurcalar, Turkey
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News report Independent author
Yeni Şafak (2022). Google depremi önceden bildi: Antalya depremi hissedilmeden kullanıcılarını uyardı. Yeni Şafak, 5 January 2022.
Depremden saniyeler önce bazı Android kullanıcıları, Google Android’in deprem erken uyarı sisteminden depreme dair telefonlarına 5.3 büyüklüğünde bir depremin olacağına dair sesli ve görsel bir uyarı mesajı gönderildi.
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News report Independent author
DonanımHaber (2022). Google erken uyarı sistemi, Alanya depremini saniyeler öncesinden bildi. DonanımHaber, 5 January 2022.
Google deprem uyarı sistemi, erken saatlerde meydana gelen depremden saniyeler önce, o bölgede oturan kullanıcılara deprem uyarı sistemi aracılığıyla bir uyarı mesajı gönderdi.
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News report Independent author
Öztürk T (2022). Erken uyarı sistemi tartışması! Depremin olacağını 10 saniye önceden bilmek güvenli mi? Hürriyet, 7 January 2022.
Depremden yaklaşık 10 saniye önce, cep telefonlarına 'deprem olacak' bildirimi gitti.
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News report Independent author
Hürriyet (2022). Google, Android Deprem Uyarı Sistemi’ni tanıttı. Hürriyet, 3 February 2022.
Ocak ayında ülkemizde merkezi Alanya ve Balıkesir olmak üzere 4.5 büyüklüğü üzeri iki depreme dair Android kullanıcılarına uyarı bildirisi gönderen Android Deprem Uyarı Sistemi
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News report Independent author
İndigo Dergisi (2022). Google Deprem Uyarı Sistemi nasıl açılır? Alanya depremini 1 dakika önceden nasıl haber verdi? İndigo Dergisi, 5 January 2022.
AFAD’dan yapılan açıklamada “Akdeniz’de Antalya’nın Alanya ilçesi açıklarında saat 06.21’de 5,3 büyüklüğünde bir deprem meydana geldi. Gelişmeleri takip ediyoruz” denildi.
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News report Independent author
NTV (2022). Deprem uyarı sistemi nedir, nasıl çalışır? NTV, 18 January 2022.
Geçtiğimiz haftalarda Google'ın sunduğu deprem uyarı sistemi, Alanya açıklarında meydana gelen 5.3'lük depremi 1 dakika öncesinden tahmin ederek kullanıcılarına sesli uyarı göndermişti.
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News report Independent author
Yeni Akit (2022). Android deprem uyarı sistemi nedir, nasıl yapılır, nasıl kullanılır? Yeni Akit, 18 January 2022.
Android deprem uyarı sistemi sayesinde 5 Ocak 2022 sabahı Antalya’da meydana gelen depremin kısa süre öncesinde vatandaşlara uyarı yollandı.
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News report Independent author
Hürriyet (2022). Deprem uyarı sistemi nasıl yapılır, nedir? Android erken deprem uyarı sistemi kullanım detayları. Hürriyet, 18 January 2022.
Olası bir depremi 10 saniye önceden haber verebilen deprem uyarı sistemi Alanya'da yaşanan depremi gerçekleşmeden 1 dakika kadar önce bölgede oturanlara Google tarafından bildirilmişti.
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News report Independent author
Duckett C (2021). Android opens up earthquake alerts and end-to-end encrypted messages. ZDNet, 16 June 2021.
The system is already live in New Zealand and Greece, with Turkey, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan coming on board.
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Press release Developer
Lee F (2021). 6 new features on Android this summer. Google, The Keyword, 15 June 2021.
Today, we're introducing the Android Earthquake Alerts System in Turkey, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
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Press release Developer
Stogaitis M (2020). Earthquake detection and early alerts, now on your Android phone. Google, The Keyword, 11 August 2020.
The server then combines information from many phones to figure out if an earthquake is happening.
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Press release Developer
Google (n.d.). Android early earthquake warnings. Google Crisis Resilience.
These alerts are only sent for earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater.