Ali Emre Erişen, founder of the earthquake early warning system EDIS, made warnings on the anniversary of the February 6 Earthquakes. Drawing attention to the possible consequences of the Marmara Earthquake, Erişen said that Turkey should implement the early warning system as soon as possible.
Turkey is located in a region with a high earthquake risk. Past painful experiences show how important it is to be prepared for earthquakes and take preventive measures. Earthquake early warning systems come into play at this point and have the potential to minimize loss of life and property.
Developed at Yıldız Technical University Technopark and the product of a 7-year study, the EDIS Earthquake Early Warning System is used by thousands of institutions in the Marmara Region, including banks, holdings, industrial companies, shopping malls and mass housing. Developed by Turkey's leading earthquake experts and software developers, the system has achieved 2022 percent success in all major and minor earthquakes since the 100 Izmir earthquake.
EDIS Founding Partner and CEO Ali Emre Erişen stated that work is ongoing to offer the application to individual users via mobile phones.
Making assessments on the anniversary of the February 6th Earthquakes, Erişen drew attention to the high probability of an earthquake of at least magnitude 7 in the Marmara Region and said, “In Istanbul alone, 1 million 200 thousand houses need to be transformed and this will take many years. However, we do not have time to lose. The earthquake early warning system is very important in this respect.”
Erişen, who stated that the EDİS Early Warning System is actively used in the Marmara Region, said, ''The Marmara Earthquake means that approximately 34 million people are at risk. For this reason, we are literally racing against time. The system we developed, apart from traditional earthquake early warning systems, provides the opportunity to take precautions and be prepared for an earthquake by gaining seconds or even minutes depending on your location before the devastating tremors of the earthquake with a very small cost. In this way, we aim to minimize the damage that people may suffer.''
Loss of life due to secondary causes
Erişen, who stated that 6 thousand citizens lost their lives in houses that did not collapse and 6 thousand 232 people were injured in buildings that did not sustain serious damage in the February 640 earthquakes, said, ''In addition to the primary impact of the earthquake, injuries and loss of life due to secondary causes such as explosions caused by natural gas and electricity, fires, doors that could not be opened and falling objects were also quite high. The EDIS Earthquake Early Warning System also aims to minimize injuries and loss of life due to these secondary causes. In addition, citizens living in high-rise buildings, especially, being trapped under debris in different parts of the building, makes search and rescue efforts difficult. Ensuring that apartment residents gather in one direction with earthquake scenarios can increase search and rescue efforts by 13 times. We are developing training programs for this. We will also provide these in our applications.''
How does EDİS work?
EDIS is a system based on artificial intelligence and detects earthquakes on site. The high-tech system placed on fault lines works with earthquake stations. It receives the P wave of the earthquake and thus instantly determines the magnitude and epicenter of the earthquake. It then calculates when the S wave (destructive wave) will reach you and sends you a warning. EDIS can send earthquake warnings through different channels such as EDİSBOX, mobile phone, siren.
What does EDİS provide?
-It gives you seconds or even minutes before the earthquake's destructive waves reach you. In times of disaster, every second counts!
-In the time gained, emergency measures can be taken such as gathering at a safe point and taking precautions, evacuating from buildings, turning off gas valves, and activating fire extinguishing systems.
-Stopping machinery in industrial and production centers before an earthquake prevents machinery breakage and ensures continuity of production after an earthquake.
-It has the potential to significantly reduce loss of life and property.
-It is less costly and contains higher technology than similar systems in the world.
How early does it warn?
EDIS's early warning period may vary depending on the region and the depth and magnitude of the earthquake. However, EDIS sends an alert before the earthquake's destructive shaking (S wave) reaches you. Since the geological structure and earthquake risk of each region is different, warning periods may be affected by geographical location. This difference can last up to seconds or even minutes, depending on the distance to the center of the earthquake. The only thing required to use the system is an internet connection. Although the warning period varies depending on the geographical location and the earthquake, EDİS definitely notifies the user about the earthquake before the shaking and destructive effects of the earthquake occur.
