Blog and media tracking service PubSub have launched a simple new notification system giving consumers and technology developers easier and more immediate access to time-critical data on global earthquake and tsunami activity.
PubSub has added real-time earthquake data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) to its Internet-scale “matching engine” found at www.pubsub.com
This simple new notification system will give bloggers and general consumers easier and more immediate access to time-critical data on global earthquake and tsunami activity.
“Seismological activity from the USGS is published in an archaic technical format that’s inaccessible both to the average person and to technology developers using modern programming tools. This older format has made it difficult to quickly distribute relevant USGS information through consumer-friendly mediums like the Web, email or wireless phones,” said Bob Wyman, chief technology officer of PubSub.
“We realized our Internet-scale matching and notification system was ideal for making this critical data more easily and quickly available to the average person. So we’ve developed a system to translate the USGS technical feed into XML – the standard language of the Web,” he said.
To receive notifications from PubSub on earthquake activity for particular regions and magnitudes, bloggers should follow three simple steps:
1. Go to www.pubsub.com/earthquakes.php
2. Choose one or more regions of the world from the map and select the magnitude above which notification is requested.
3. Choose where to receive notifications.
Notifications can be delivered by email, toolbar or RSS.
“We see our work with the USGS data as a first step in helping this information get more widely and directly disseminated to the general public, as well as to professionals, academics and hobbyists with an interest in seismology,” said Wyman. “While making the information immediately available on our own platform, we also hope to serve as a ‘gateway’ for developers who will build our XML feed into other consumer applications – from Web sites to mobile phones.”
PubSub is also working to support other initiatives in the emergency management field. Wyman has participated for the past year in the OASIS Emergency Management Technical Committee which has defined CAP (Common Alerting Protocol), a protocol with emergency management and homeland security applications that is currently being tested in both Washington, DC, and California. The new PubSub earthquake notification service fully supports the CAP messaging format.
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