Italy: Smartphone-powered earthquake detectors could help direct first responders in an emergency

National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology seismologyists in Italy have tested smartphone accelerometers and found that they could detect stronger earthquakes.

A new study, published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America suggested that a network of smartphone-powered earthquake detectors would be especially useful in an urban environment, where the data could be transmitted to the authorities to help first responders identify the worst hit areas, reports The Independent.