Using Tech to Battle Earthquakes

Innovation in a system that saves lives demands involvement from the private sector, according to Alvaro Velasco, Founder of SkyAlert, referring to the seismic alert system that covers central and southern Mexico. “Our dream has always been to create a tool that uses the latest technology and that is accessible for everyone, and we are achieving it,” he says.

SkyAlert was founded eight years ago with the mission of creating a better earthquake warning system. The company operates a network of over 120 sensors installed on privately owned buildings across an area spanning 14 states, from Chiapas to Veracruz and Jalisco. Velasco is adamant in pointing out his company is a quintessential tech company. The company’s software works according to an algorithm that analyzes data and generates the necessary alert to subscribers of the SkyAlert platforms. The algorithm, on average, is updated every two years. “Unlike other companies, you cannot bring a product like this to the market and then live off it for 10 years,” Velasco says. 

The company offers two products. One is the SkyAlert app, which is open to any individual and has both a free and a subscription version. The app notifies the user when an earthquake is imminent and assesses the severity of the event based on the user’s location. The second product is Epicenter, which is designed for companies and government institutions to support earthquake response mechanisms for buildings. The platform allows clients to personalize alarms, provides instructions for drills and automatically kickstart evacuation procedures when an earthquake is detected. These automated responses include opening elevator doors, closing gas valves and projecting messages on screens.

The company integrated internet of things (IoT) technology in 2017, which Velasco says opened up a whole landscape of opportunities. “This technology allows you to integrate almost everything into a single system and therefore provide a more personalized product to a client,” he says. The company is looking at solutions that could work in tandem with Google and Amazon’s virtual assistant systems. “The end goal is to ensure that employees can fully focus on getting to safety and spend less time on initiating safety measures.”

According to Velasco, SkyAlert’s system adds an average of 10-15 seconds of advanced warning of an imminent earthquake compared to the government’s system. However, Velasco points to the culture of earthquake response as being the most prominent issue in the country. “Civil protection is lacking. There are far more important factors that should be widely known and practiced,” says Velasco. Many people die or are injured because they run out of a building instead of taking cover during an earthquake. Many also return to the building immediately after an earthquake, when the risk of collapse is very high due to aftershocks. Another example of this lack of a safety culture is how people respond in populated areas, such as concert venues. Evacuations have to take place in a coordinated manner to prevent deadly stampedes. Velasco explains how during the 2017 earthquake, the most severe to hit Mexico City in recent decades, many people left their cars in the middle of the road, blocking access for emergency services trying to reach people in need.

SkyAlert can act as a channel to educate people to change their response in an emergency, which is one reason Velasco laments the administration’s intention to halt the construction of private sector-built earthquake warning systems. “This technology saves lives and blocking these kinds of projects prevents that,” he says. “If other Mexicans were to come up with a system to predict earthquakes, how are they to develop it without the support of the government?” One of the severe limitations of the government’s system is that many people living in rural areas cannot hear the alerts. An app service like SkyAlert, can reach people anywhere as long as they have a phone. Recently, the company started working with Bridgefy to develop a Bluetooth mode that allows the app to work even if there is no internet connection by taking advantage of another device with Bluetooth that can connect to the internet.

Regardless of the lack of government support, Velasco will continue innovating in his platform. The mission for 2020, he says, is to be more integrated and less dependent on third-party platforms. “We would like to take the system a step further and provide exact advice on what to do in real time, depending on the client’s exact GPS location.” As the company continues to expand its use of loT infrastructure, the ability to customize the service will become easier. The company is looking at applying its technology to other types of natural disasters and even to potentially provide safety measures at large social events. In addition, SkyAlert wants to expand its activities to other countries in Latin America, as well as the US where it is already active in California.