Twitter earthquake tracker launched
Twitter users in earthquake-hit areas 'typically begin tweeting in seconds'
In the three years since the first official tweet, Twitter has been used to track everything from Stephen Fry's breakfast to who Lily Allen has taken a liking to at the cricket.
Now the social media micro-blogging phenomenon is being used for something that could really make the earth move - tracking earthquakes.
The US Geological Survey's (USGS) Twitter earthquake detector (TED) is an experiment involving ordinary citizens collecting seismic data, with members of the public gathering real-time, quake-related updates to create geo-located accounts of tremors.
Twitter users in areas shaken by earthquakes typically begin "tweeting" in seconds, according to USGS scientist Michelle Guy.
By contrast, it can take as long as 20 minutes for data from earthquake sensors to be analysed.
"The basic difference is speed versus accuracy," Ms Guy explained.
By continuously gathering tweets containing the word "earthquake" and its multilingual equivalents, the TED is able to apply place, time and keywords to create online maps of seismic activity.
Take action
- Donate to a charity that works to aid those affected by earthquakes
- Learn more about earthquakes with Earth Scope
- Visit the earthquake locator
Any misleading references, such as "earthquake brownie" desserts or the board game "Quake", are filtered out to prevent confusion.
Twitter, which allows users to post messages of up to 140 characters, has rocketed in popularity since its launch in August 2006 and has millions of users worldwide.
SIDEWAYS News for fresh perspectives
