Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 16, 2026

Quake-Catcher Network

The Quake-Catcher Network was an initiative run by the University of Southern California that aimed to use computer-based accelerometers to detect earthquakes. It used the BOINC volunteer computing platform.

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Quake-Catcher Network
Quake-Catcher Network screensaver
PlatformBOINC

The Quake-Catcher Network was an initiative run by the University of Southern California that aimed to use computer-based accelerometers to detect earthquakes.1 It used the BOINC volunteer computing platform (a form of distributed computing, similar to SETI@home).

It supported mobile devices (smartphones and some tablets/laptops) that have a built-in accelerometer.2 It also supported three external USB devices - the codemercs.com JoyWarrior 24F8, the ONavi sensor, and the MotionNode Accel.3

In 2011, project scientist Elizabeth Cochran was awarded a Presidential Early Career Award from US President Barack Obama in large part due to her founding of the Quake-Catcher Network project.4

The Quake Catcher Network project started at Stanford University2 in 2008,5 then moved to Caltech,6 and joined the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) and the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) in 2016.7 The Quake-Catcher Network was discontinued on June 1st 20238

References

References

  1. "Main project page". University of Southern California. Archived from the original on 2016-11-02. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  2. "Introduction to the Network". University of Southern California. Archived from the original on 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  3. "Sensor Comparison". University of Southern California. Archived from the original on 2018-01-07. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  4. "Elizabeth Cochran accepts the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists". UCR Today. Archived from the original on 2016-12-24. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  5. "152 | CitizenScience.gov". www.citizenscience.gov. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  6. "Quake Catcher Network". Archived from the original on 18 June 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  7. "QCN Moves to SCEC/IRIS". 7 July 2016. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  8. "Quakecatcher". quakecatcher.net. Archived from the original on 2023-06-26. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
External links