Quake-Catcher Network - Revision history

Al Piskun: /* Scientific publications */ add pubs

2026-07-02T19:08:15Z

Scientific publications: add pubs

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:08, 2 July 2026
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	== Scientific publications ==		== Scientific publications ==
	The following list distinguishes papers that used data directly computed or collected through the BOINC-based Quake-Catcher Network platform, ~~per~~ [https://boinc.berkeley.edu/pubs.php#Quake-Catcher the official BOINC publications page], from other publications about or related to the project.		The following list distinguishes papers that used data directly computed or collected through the BOINC-based Quake-Catcher Network platform, as listed on [https://boinc.berkeley.edu/pubs.php#Quake-Catcher the official BOINC publications page], from other publications about or related to the project.

	=== Publications based on BOINC-computed data ===		=== Publications based on BOINC-computed data ===
	* ~~Cochran~~, E.S., ~~Lawrence~~, J.F., Christensen, C. and ~~Jakka, R~~.~~S. [~~https://~~doi~~.org/10.1785/~~gssrl~~.80.1.~~26 The Quake~~-~~Catcher~~ Network: ~~Citizen Science Expanding Seismic Horizons]~~. ~~''Seismological Research Letters'' 80~~(1), ~~26–30 (2009)~~.		* {{Cite journal \|last1=Chen \|first1=Kate Huihsuan \|last2=Liang \|first2=Wen-Tzong \|last3=Lin \|first3=Chun-Hung \|last4=Wu \|first4=Leon Yufeng \|title=Citizen Seismology in Taiwan: Development, Outreach, and Formative Assessment of Near-Real Time Earthquake Game Competition Activities \|journal=Frontiers in Earth Science \|year=2020 \|doi=10.3389/feart.2020.00154 \|url=https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/feart.2020.00154/full}}
	* Yildirim, B., Cochran, E.S., Chung, A.~~I.,~~ Christensen, C.M. ~~and~~ Lawrence, J.F. ~~[https://doi.org/10.1785/0220140176~~ On the Reliability of Quake-Catcher Network Earthquake Detections~~]. ''~~Seismological Research Letters'' 86(3), 856–869 (2015).		* {{Cite journal \|last1=Fu \|first1=Jihua \|last2=Li \|first2=Zhitao \|last3=Meng \|first3=Hao \|last4=Wang \|first4=Jianjun \|last5=Shan \|first5=Xinjian \|title=Performance Evaluation of Low-Cost Seismic Sensors for Dense Earthquake Early Warning: 2018–2019 Field Testing in Southwest China \|journal=Sensors \|volume=19 \|issue=9 \|pages=1999 \|year=2019 \|doi=10.3390/s19091999 \|url=https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/9/1999}}
	* ~~Dominguez, L~~.A., ~~Yildirim~~, B.~~, Husker, A~~.L., Cochran, E.S.~~, Christensen,~~ C.M., ~~Cruz~~-~~Atienza, V~~.M. ~~and~~ Lawrence~~, J~~.F. [https://doi.org/10.1785/~~0220140195 The Red Atrapa Sismos (Quake Catcher~~ Network in ~~Mexico)~~: ~~Assessing Performance during Large and Damaging Earthquakes]~~. ~~''Seismological Research Letters'' 86(3), 848–855 (2015)~~.		* {{Cite journal \|last1=Liang \|first1=Wen-Tzong \|last2=Lee \|first2=Jian-Cheng \|last3=Chen \|first3=Kate Huihsuan \|last4=Hsiao \|first4=Nai-Chi \|title=Citizen Earthquake Science in Taiwan: From Science to Hazard Mitigation \|journal=Journal of Disaster Research \|year=2017 \|doi=10.20965/jdr.2017.p1174 \|url=https://www.fujipress.jp/jdr/dr/dsstr001200061174}} (with Academia Sinica Institute of Earth Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University Department of Earth Sciences, and Central Weather Bureau Seismological Center)
			* {{Cite journal \|last1=Dominguez \|first1=L. A. \|last2=Yildirim \|first2=B. \|last3=Husker \|first3=A. L. \|last4=Cochran \|first4=E. \|last5=Christensen \|first5=C. \|last6=Cruz-Atienza \|first6=V. M. \|last7=Lawrence \|first7=J. F. \|title=The Red Atrapa Sismos (Quake-Catcher Network in Mexico): Assessing Performance during Large and Damaging Earthquakes \|journal=Seismological Research Letters \|volume=86 \|issue=3 \|pages=848–855 \|year=2015 \|doi=10.1785/0220140171 \|url=https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/srl/article/86/3/848-855/315678}}
			* {{Cite journal \|last1=Dixit \|first1=Amod Mani \|last2=Ringler \|first2=Adam T. \|last3=Sumy \|first3=Danielle F. \|title=Strong-Motion Observations of the M 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, Earthquake Sequence and Development of the N-SHAKE Strong-Motion Network \|journal=Seismological Research Letters \|volume=86 \|issue=6 \|pages=1533–1539 \|year=2015 \|doi=10.1785/0220150146 \|url=https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/srl/article/86/6/1533-1539/349127}} et al.
			* {{Cite journal \|last1=Chung \|first1=Angela I. \|last2=Cochran \|first2=Elizabeth S. \|last3=Kaiser \|first3=Anna E. \|last4=Christensen \|first4=Carl M. \|last5=Yildirim \|first5=Battalgazi \|last6=Lawrence \|first6=Jesse F. \|title=Improved Rapid Magnitude Estimation for a Community-Based, Low-Cost MEMS Accelerometer Network \|journal=Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America \|volume=105 \|issue=3 \|pages=1314–1323 \|year=2015 \|doi=10.1785/0120140232 \|url=https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/bssa/article/105/3/1314-1323/331819}}
			* {{Cite journal \|last1=Neighbors \|first1=C. \|last2=Liao \|first2=E. J. \|last3=Cochran \|first3=E. S. \|title=Investigation of the High-Frequency Attenuation Parameter, κ (kappa), from Aftershocks of the 2010 Mw 8.8 Maule, Chile Earthquake \|journal=Geophysical Journal International \|volume=200 \|issue=1 \|pages=200–215 \|year=2015 \|doi=10.1093/gji/ggu390 \|url=http://academic.oup.com/gji/article/200/1/200/748351/Investigation-of-the-highfrequency-attenuation}} et al.
			* {{Cite journal \|last1=Yildirim \|first1=B. \|last2=Cochran \|first2=E. S. \|last3=Chung \|first3=A. \|last4=Christensen \|first4=C. M. \|last5=Lawrence \|first5=J. F. \|title=On the Reliability of Quake-Catcher Network Earthquake Detections \|journal=Seismological Research Letters \|volume=86 \|issue=3 \|pages=856–869 \|year=2015 \|doi=10.1785/0220140218 \|url=https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/srl/article/86/3/856-869/315684}}
			* {{Cite journal \|last1=Lawrence \|first1=J. F. \|last2=Cochran \|first2=E. S. \|last3=Chung \|first3=A. \|title=Rapid Earthquake Characterization Using MEMS Accelerometers and Volunteer Hosts Following the M 7.2 Darfield, New Zealand, Earthquake \|journal=Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America \|volume=104 \|issue=1 \|pages=184–192 \|year=2014 \|doi=10.1785/0120120196 \|url=https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/bssa/article/104/1/184-192/331754}} et al.
			* {{Cite journal \|last1=Benson \|first1=K. \|last2=Schlachter \|first2=S. \|last3=Estrada \|first3=T. \|last4=Taufer \|first4=M. \|last5=Lawrence \|first5=J. \|last6=Cochran \|first6=E. \|title=On the Powerful Use of Simulations in the Quake-Catcher Network to Efficiently Position Low-Cost Earthquake Sensors \|journal=Future Generation Computer Systems \|year=2013 \|doi=10.1016/j.future.2013.04.012 \|url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0167739X13000721}}
			* {{Cite journal \|last1=Chung \|first1=A. I. \|last2=Neighbors \|first2=C. \|last3=Belmonte \|first3=A. \|title=The Quake-Catcher Network Rapid Aftershock Mobilization Program Following the 2010 M 8.8 Maule, Chile Earthquake \|journal=Seismological Research Letters \|volume=82 \|issue=4 \|pages=526–532 \|year=2011 \|doi=10.1785/gssrl.82.4.526 \|url=https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/srl/article/82/4/526-532/143840}} et al.
			* {{Cite journal \|last1=Cochran \|first1=Elizabeth S. \|last2=Lawrence \|first2=Jesse F. \|last3=Christensen \|first3=Carl \|last4=Jakka \|first4=Ravi S. \|title=The Quake-Catcher Network: Citizen Science Expanding Seismic Horizons \|journal=Seismological Research Letters \|volume=80 \|issue=1 \|pages=26–30 \|year=2009 \|doi=10.1785/gssrl.80.1.26 \|url=https://doi.org/10.1785/gssrl.80.1.26}}
			* {{Cite journal \|last1=Cochran \|first1=Elizabeth \|last2=Lawrence \|first2=Jesse \|last3=Christensen \|first3=Carl \|last4=Chung \|first4=Angela \|title=A Novel Strong-Motion Seismic Network for Community Participation in Earthquake Monitoring \|journal=IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine \|year=2009 \|doi=10.1109/MIM.2009.5338255 \|url=http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5338255/}}

	=== Other project-related publications ===		=== Other project-related publications ===
	* Cochran, E.S., Lawrence, J.F., Christensen, C. and Chung, A. A Novel Strong-Motion Seismic Network for Community Participation in Earthquake Monitoring. ''IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine'' 12(6), 8–15 (2009).		* {{Cite web \|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187705091400218X \|title=Study of the Network Impact on Earthquake Early Warning in the Quake-Catcher Network Project \|website=Procedia Computer Science (ICCS 2014) \|access-date=2 July 2026}}
	* Benson, K. et al. [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187705091400218X Study of the Network Impact on Earthquake Early Warning in the Quake-Catcher Network Project~~]. ''~~Procedia Computer Science'' (ICCS 2014)~~, presented at the International Conference on Computational Science 2014.~~
	* Neighbors, C., Liao, E.J., Cochran, E.S., Funning, G.J., Chung, A.I., Lawrence, J.F., Christensen, C., Miller, M., Belmonte, A. and Sepulveda, H.H.A. [https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggu390 Investigation of the High-~~Frequency Attenuation Parameter, Kappa, from Aftershocks of the 2010 Mw8.8 Maule, Chile Earthquake]. ''Geophysical Journal International'' 200, 200–215 (2015).~~

	== See also ==		== See also ==

Al Piskun: first light

2026-07-02T13:18:54Z

first light

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{{Infobox software
| name = Quake-Catcher Network
| logo =
| logo caption =
| screenshot = ADXL345B -126 2495 PHIL.jpg
| caption = A MEMS accelerometer chip of the type used by Quake-Catcher Network host sensors
| description = Quake-Catcher Network (QCN) was a completed BOINC volunteer computing project that used low-cost MEMS accelerometers in laptops, desktops, and USB sensors to build a distributed, community-based earthquake detection network from 2007 to 2023.
| status = Completed
| category = Earth and Environmental Science, Seismology
| compute = CPU
| dependencies = MEMS accelerometer (internal laptop sensor or external USB sensor)
| developer = Carl Christensen (Stanford University); later Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), University of Southern California
| author = Carl Christensen
| sponsor = [[wikipedia:National Science Foundation|National Science Foundation]], [[wikipedia:Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology|Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology]] (IRIS), Southern California Earthquake Center
| maintainer = Southern California Earthquake Center / University of Southern California (project); Stephen L. Arnold (client code, later years)
| released = {{Start date and age|2007|12|05}}
| completed = {{Start date and age|2023|06|01}}
| discontinued =
| repository = {{URL|https://github.com/VCTLabs/qcn}}
| programming language = C++, Qt (QCNLive client)
| operating system = Windows, Linux, macOS, Android
| size =
| stats as of = {{Start date and age|2022|11|01}}
| average performance = 0.02 GigaFLOPS
| active users =
| total users = 11321
| active hosts =
| total hosts = 16167
| rac =
| credit per day =
| gpu performance =
| cpu performance =
| website = {{URL|https://quakecatcher.net/}}
| license = LGPL-3.0-or-later
}}

'''[https://web.archive.org/web/20160730091943/http://quakecatcher.net/sensor/ Quake-Catcher Network]''' (QCN) was a [[BOINC]]-based volunteer computing project that turned ordinary internet-connected computers into a low-cost, distributed strong-motion seismic network. Rather than performing conventional number-crunching, QCN read the built-in or externally attached [[wikipedia:Accelerometer|accelerometer]] on a volunteer's device and streamed motion data back to project servers, where it was analyzed for signs of earthquake shaking. The project ran from 5 December 2007 until its discontinuation on 1 June 2023.<ref name="wiki_cite">{{Cite web |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quake-Catcher_Network |title=Quake-Catcher Network |website=Wikipedia |access-date=2 July 2026}}</ref>

QCN was notable for using Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) accelerometers already built into many laptops, as well as inexpensive external USB sensors, to approximate the coverage of a conventional strong-motion seismic network at a fraction of the cost.<ref name="cochran2009srl">{{Cite journal |last1=Cochran |first1=Elizabeth S. |last2=Lawrence |first2=Jesse F. |last3=Christensen |first3=Carl |last4=Jakka |first4=Ravi S. |title=The Quake-Catcher Network: Citizen Science Expanding Seismic Horizons |journal=Seismological Research Letters |volume=80 |issue=1 |pages=26–30 |year=2009 |doi=10.1785/gssrl.80.1.26}}</ref>

== History ==
QCN was founded at [[wikipedia:Stanford University|Stanford University]] in 2007–2008 by software developer Carl Christensen, working with seismologist [[wikipedia:Elizabeth Cochran|Elizabeth S. Cochran]] and Jesse F. Lawrence.<ref name="wiki_cite" /><ref name="cochran2009srl" /> The project's BOINC application first appeared under the working names "QCN Alpha" and "QCN Alpha Test" before becoming a live production project.<ref name="boincwiki">{{Cite web |url=https://boinc.berkeley.edu/wiki/Quake_Catcher_Network_-_Seismic_Monitoring |title=Quake Catcher Network – Seismic Monitoring |website=BOINC |access-date=2 July 2026}}</ref>

In 2011, Cochran received a [[wikipedia:Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers|Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers]] from President [[wikipedia:Barack Obama|Barack Obama]], awarded in large part for her role in founding QCN.<ref name="wiki_cite" />

Project administration subsequently moved from Stanford to the [[wikipedia:California Institute of Technology|California Institute of Technology]] (Caltech), where it was run largely on autopilot.<ref name="wiki_cite" /><ref name="github_vctlabs">{{Cite web |url=https://github.com/VCTLabs/qcn |title=VCTLabs/qcn: Quake-Catcher Network |website=GitHub |access-date=2 July 2026}}</ref> In 2016, QCN was transferred to the [[wikipedia:Southern California Earthquake Center|Southern California Earthquake Center]] (SCEC) at the [[wikipedia:University of Southern California|University of Southern California]], with continued support from the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS).<ref name="wiki_cite" />

QCN was formally discontinued on 1 June 2023; the project's website subsequently displayed a closure notice.<ref name="wayback">{{Cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230626205222/https://quakecatcher.net/ |title=Quakecatcher |website=Wayback Machine archive of quakecatcher.net |date=26 June 2023 |access-date=2 July 2026}}</ref>

== Sensors and hardware ==
[[File:Accelerometer with Arduino.jpg|thumb|An external USB-connected MEMS accelerometer of the type used with desktop computers that lacked a built-in sensor]]

QCN accepted motion data from two broad categories of sensor:

* '''Internal sensors''' — the shock-protection accelerometers already built into many laptops, most notably Apple MacBook and IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad models, as well as the motion sensors in smartphones and tablets.<ref name="boincwiki" /><ref name="wiki_cite" />
* '''External USB sensors''' — low-cost, purpose-built accelerometers for desktop computers that lacked an internal sensor. QCN officially supported three such devices: the codemercs.com JoyWarrior 24F8, the ONavi sensor, and the MotionNode Accel.<ref name="wiki_cite" />

Sensors measured acceleration on three axes across a range of roughly ±2''g'' (where ''g'' is Earth's standard gravity, 9.81 m/s<sup>2</sup>), sampled at 50 Hz.<ref name="qcnsensors">{{Cite web |url=https://quakecatcher.net/about/sensors |title=Quakecatcher — Sensors |website=quakecatcher.net |access-date=2 July 2026}}</ref> Because desktop USB sensors could be fixed and oriented to true north, scientists generally preferred them over laptop-internal sensors, which could move or be reoriented by their owners.<ref name="qcnsensors" />

== Detection algorithm ==
Each QCN client continuously evaluated incoming accelerometer samples for anomalous motion using a short-term-average/long-term-average (STA/LTA) triggering scheme, a standard approach in seismic event detection.<ref name="redatrapa">{{Cite journal |last1=Dominguez |first1=L. A. |last2=Yildirim |first2=B. |last3=Husker |first3=A. L. |last4=Cochran |first4=E. S. |last5=Christensen |first5=C. M. |last6=Cruz-Atienza |first6=V. M. |last7=Lawrence |first7=J. F. |title=The Red Atrapa Sismos (Quake Catcher Network in Mexico): Assessing Performance during Large and Damaging Earthquakes |journal=Seismological Research Letters |volume=86 |issue=3 |pages=848–855 |year=2015 |doi=10.1785/0220140195}}</ref> A trigger was declared when a computed statistic exceeded a fixed threshold, commonly expressed as a Z-score of the instantaneous acceleration relative to the recent noise floor:

<math>Z = \frac{x - \mu}{\sigma}</math>

where <math>x</math> is the current acceleration sample, <math>\mu</math> is the local mean (long-term average) acceleration, and <math>\sigma</math> is its standard deviation. When <math>Z</math> exceeded a threshold of approximately 3, the client streamed a compact packet of trigger information — including maximum amplitude and timestamp — to a QCN server for correlation against triggers from other sensors in space and time.<ref name="edge">{{Cite web |url=https://arxiv.org/pdf/2111.02869 |title=Earthquake Detection at the Edge: IoT Crowdsensing Network |website=arXiv |access-date=2 July 2026}}</ref> QCN sensors were best suited to detecting moderate-to-large earthquakes (roughly magnitude 5.0 and above) in populated areas, since their sensitivity was lower than that of professional-grade [[wikipedia:Seismometer|seismometers]].<ref name="cochran2009srl" />

== Software and client ==
The QCN BOINC application was a "non-CPU-intensive" project by BOINC's own classification: unlike most BOINC projects, host computers did not perform significant scientific calculation, but instead acted as always-on data-collection and reporting nodes.<ref name="boincwiki" /> A companion Qt-based application called '''QCNLive''' let volunteers view live sensor readings, review recorded ground motion, and browse global earthquake activity.<ref name="scistarter_topics">{{Cite web |url=https://www.science.gov/topicpages/q/quake+catcher+network |title=Quake Catcher Network — Topics by Science.gov |access-date=2 July 2026}}</ref> The QCN client and server source code was released under the [[wikipedia:GNU Lesser General Public License|GNU Lesser General Public License]] (LGPL) version 3 or later, with a copyright held by IRIS covering the 2007–2016 period.<ref name="github_vctlabs" />

QCN also shipped a BOINC screensaver, shown below.

{{#ev:youtube|SCv_W751m64|700|center|Quake-Catcher Network screensaver|start=0}}

== Scientific impact ==
[[File:2010 Maule earthquake intensity USGS.jpg|thumb|USGS shake-intensity map of the 27 February 2010 magnitude 8.8 Maule, Chile earthquake, one of several major events recorded by QCN sensors]]

QCN sensors recorded data from a number of major earthquakes, including the 2010 magnitude 8.8 Maule, Chile earthquake, the 2010 magnitude 7.1 [[wikipedia:2010 Canterbury earthquake|Darfield, New Zealand earthquake]], and the 2015 magnitude 7.8 [[wikipedia:April 2015 Nepal earthquake|Gorkha, Nepal earthquake]].<ref name="ads_cochran">{{Cite web |url=https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFMED21C0788S/abstract |title=Crowd-Sourcing Seismic Data for Education and Research Opportunities with the Quake-Catcher Network |website=NASA/ADS |access-date=2 July 2026}}</ref> A Mexican deployment of the network, the Red Atrapa Sismos, was separately evaluated for its performance during large and damaging earthquakes in that country.<ref name="redatrapa" />

Beyond research, QCN placed low-cost sensors in K-12 classrooms and museums as an educational and outreach tool, letting students and the public participate directly in seismic data collection.<ref name="scistarter">{{Cite web |url=https://scistarter.org/quake-catcher-network-1 |title=Quake-Catcher Network |website=SciStarter |access-date=2 July 2026}}</ref>

== Scientific publications ==
The following list distinguishes papers that used data directly computed or collected through the BOINC-based Quake-Catcher Network platform, per [https://boinc.berkeley.edu/pubs.php#Quake-Catcher the official BOINC publications page], from other publications about or related to the project.

=== Publications based on BOINC-computed data ===
* Cochran, E.S., Lawrence, J.F., Christensen, C. and Jakka, R.S. [https://doi.org/10.1785/gssrl.80.1.26 The Quake-Catcher Network: Citizen Science Expanding Seismic Horizons]. ''Seismological Research Letters'' 80(1), 26–30 (2009).
* Yildirim, B., Cochran, E.S., Chung, A.I., Christensen, C.M. and Lawrence, J.F. [https://doi.org/10.1785/0220140176 On the Reliability of Quake-Catcher Network Earthquake Detections]. ''Seismological Research Letters'' 86(3), 856–869 (2015).
* Dominguez, L.A., Yildirim, B., Husker, A.L., Cochran, E.S., Christensen, C.M., Cruz-Atienza, V.M. and Lawrence, J.F. [https://doi.org/10.1785/0220140195 The Red Atrapa Sismos (Quake Catcher Network in Mexico): Assessing Performance during Large and Damaging Earthquakes]. ''Seismological Research Letters'' 86(3), 848–855 (2015).

=== Other project-related publications ===
* Cochran, E.S., Lawrence, J.F., Christensen, C. and Chung, A. A Novel Strong-Motion Seismic Network for Community Participation in Earthquake Monitoring. ''IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine'' 12(6), 8–15 (2009).
* Benson, K. et al. [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187705091400218X Study of the Network Impact on Earthquake Early Warning in the Quake-Catcher Network Project]. ''Procedia Computer Science'' (ICCS 2014), presented at the International Conference on Computational Science 2014.
* Neighbors, C., Liao, E.J., Cochran, E.S., Funning, G.J., Chung, A.I., Lawrence, J.F., Christensen, C., Miller, M., Belmonte, A. and Sepulveda, H.H.A. [https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggu390 Investigation of the High-Frequency Attenuation Parameter, Kappa, from Aftershocks of the 2010 Mw8.8 Maule, Chile Earthquake]. ''Geophysical Journal International'' 200, 200–215 (2015).

== See also ==
* [[BOINC]]
* [[SETI@home]]
* [[Einstein@Home]]
* [[wikipedia:Volunteer computing|Volunteer computing]]
* [[wikipedia:Southern California Earthquake Center|Southern California Earthquake Center]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Completed BOINC projects]]
[[Category:Earth and Environmental Science Projects]]
[[Category:Seismology]]