Seismic Data to Aid Landslide Rescue Efforts

Rapid Summary

• A new seismic data analysis technique can pinpoint the location of landslides and pyroclastic flows within a few kilometers in seconds, aiding rescue missions effectively.
• Current methods narrow locations only to tens of kilometers, leading to potential delays in assistance during emergencies.
• Developed by Stefania Ursica’s team at the Helmholtz Center for Geosciences (Germany), this approach analyses five aspects of seismic waveforms to determine event timing with higher precision.
• The system uses mathematical agents inspired by animal movements (e.g., falcon spiraling) to locate events based on waveform comparisons; achieving an order-of-magnitude accuracy betterment over prior methods.
• Takes around 10 seconds from data input to outcome; also helpful in spotting events obscured due to absent or unclear satellite data.
• Plans are underway for full publication and free access to this code.

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