* The data comes from ShakeAlert (USGS).
* The alerts can be sent to your Android or iOS phone via the MyShake app
* According to Wikipedia, 3 apps are licensed to work with USGS ShakeAlert: "QuakeAlertUSA", "MyShake", and "SD Emergency" (San Diego). [1]
What's the reason Android keeps getting such a plug here?
Best I can see:
* Android has built-in functionality to alert users, so they don't have to take the proactive step of downloading an app. Presumably any system that's opt-in is going to be far less valuable (I imagine not even 5% of iOS users have an earthquake alerting app, even in CA, let alone nationwide/worldwide).
* Android phones are auto-participating in uploading data to the ShakeAlert system (somehow), when plugged in and locked. I think this is really neat tech and has a ton of promise, although it's unclear to me if it is of great value to ShakeAlert in a state that's presumably well-instrumented by precision sensors already.
Great use cases:
* More people being notified is more value. Most people don't bother to download an earthquake app, particularly if elderly, or traveling from a non-quake-prone region to a quake-prone region.
* Detection in more sparsely populated areas or areas not well-covered by precision instruments.
Concerns:
* Being auto-opted-in. Today: Earthquakes. Tomorrow: Shotspotter (gunshot location). Next year: protests against our tech overlords.