In areas prone to earthquake, it is critical to have a system that can detect earthquake early and send off a warning system. The system can also detect and predict a potential tsunami as an aftermath of an earthquake.

The earthquake early warning system consists of a network of seismic Internet of Things (IoT) sensors which will send the seismic data to the central dashboard. The sensors placements have to be further investigated and researched by the seismic experts to ensure effective data capture. The sensors will connect to IoT module which will send the transmission-ready data through a data communication network. The selection of available and reliable data network can be daunting since the sensors and their supporting infrastructure, more often than not, could be installed in the geographically-challenging area.

The first stage to tackle is the selection of reliable sensors, its infrastructure and the data communication facilities. We have to deploy the complete remote terminals which require a minimum maintenance. The status of the sensors and other components must be monitored continuously to prevent and detect potential failure. In short, besides the IoT modules that feed the seismic, equally important is the housekeeping facilities to make sure that all those components are in good shape and properly maintained.

Once the data is collected in the central locations, next in the stage is to analyze the data and use it to predict the occurrence of earthquake and tsunami. The data will have to be looked into and presented statistically for the report and to be analyzed by a team of experts. For automated early detection, the data should be fed into a machine learning or AI system which will output the prediction of earthquake occurrence. The system must be able to continuously learn from the historical millions of data to sharpen the prediction accuracy. All the learning and data processing will be conducted real time and in automated mode to trigger an alarm when the earthquake most likely will happen.

The right selections of sensors, its supporting facilities, data transmission, and machine learning algorithm will make sure that the overall system works as expected. The properly-designed and well-deployed earthquake early warning system will help to save millions of lives and potential damages. This should be on the top list of every metrological agency in any countries especially those which are prone to earthquake.