Quake-Catcher Network

"QCN" redirects here. For the measurement instrument, see quartz crystal nanobalance.

The Quake-Catcher Network was an initiative run by the University of Southern California that aimed to use computer-based accelerometers to detect earthquakes.^[1] It used the BOINC volunteer computing platform (a form of distributed computing, similar to SETI@home).

Quake-Catcher Network

Quake-Catcher Network screensaver
Platform	BOINC

It supported mobile devices (smartphones and some tablets/laptops) that have a built-in accelerometer.^[2] It also supported three external USB devices - the codemercs.com JoyWarrior 24F8, the ONavi sensor, and the MotionNode Accel.^[3]

In 2011, project scientist Elizabeth Cochran was awarded a Presidential Early Career Award from US President Barack Obama in large part due to her founding of the Quake-Catcher Network project.^[4]

The Quake Catcher Network project started at Stanford University^[2] in 2008,^[5] then moved to Caltech,^[6] and joined the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) and the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) in 2016.^[7] The Quake-Catcher Network was discontinued on June 1st 2023^[8]