This will be a little different post than is usual for me. I don’t generally address macro technology issues in the context of this blog, but once in a while I think it’s good to think about technology as a life saver rather than the more typical ways it enhances our lives. Over the last 90 days, we’ve seen two major cataclysms–a 7.0 Richter earthquake in Haiti, and a 8.8 Richter earthquake near Concepcion, Chile. The statistics are very telling, and in Haiti’s case incredibly tragic as well:
Haiti:
- Estimated 225,000 people lost their lives
- 300,000 people with major injuries
- 1,000,000 homeless
- 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings completely destroyed
Chile:
- Current death estimates are less than 300 people
- Some structures destroyed, widespread damage ranging from minor to major
- Airport service restored after 24 hours and subway service in 72 hours
- Hundreds of aftershocks between 6.0 and 7.3 Richter in the past two week interval
Because the Richter scale is logarithmic rather than linear, the difference in magnitude of these two events is huge. Expressed another way, the Chilean earthquake was almost 700 times stronger (in terms of energy/power) than was the Haitian earthquake. If the Chilean earthquake had been two full points higher on the Richter scale (a 8.8 compared to 6.8 for example), it would have been 1000 times more destructive. Further, Chile has had a number of aftershocks that were as strong as the primary quake in Haiti. It is estimated that the city of Concepcion is 10 feet further west than it was before the quake, and that the quake was so strong that it affected the (ongoing) length of day of the entire earth because of the disruption of the earth’s rotational axis.
How could such an cataclysm result in such a relatively small loss of life?
The obvious differences in loss of life and property in Chile as compared to the weaker seismic event in Haiti are, among other things, the result of diligent implementation of seismic technology in building codes and practices in that country. Chile is no stranger to strong earthquakes. The Great Chilean Earthquake of 1960 measured 9.5 on the MM scale (similar to Richter) and was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. Over time, engineers in that country have studied what makes a building strong and quake resistant, and have implemented technology specific to that problem.
Haiti is also in an earthquake prone area, but hasn’t had a history of quakes as strong as the one which occurred in January. It is truly sad that, for a variety of economic and political reasons, technology to protect the citizens of that country against this type of disaster has never been implemented. And we have all seen the result.
At WOW!, we hope that our technology makes a positive difference in the lives of our customers. We expect, for example, that our carefully engineered 911 services will help our phone customers reach help quickly in time of need. Whether it’s a life threatening event or simply an inexplicable noise in the backyard, having immediate access to resources external to ourselves and family is very comforting. Like the stringent building codes in Chile, our nationwide 911 system has evolved over time and with experience, and is costly to maintain. But no one would argue that it is too expensive, as safety of the citizenry is and should be the hallmark of a civilized society.
With the ubiquity of portable communications (cellular, SIP clients on roving PC’s or iPads, fixed mobile convergence, etc.) industry standards for the national 911 system continue to evolve to embrace that portability. NENA (National Emergency Number Association) is the “standards” organization that facilitates the cooperation between private and governmental entities to define and implement systems that ensure quick response to any 911 call made over any communication device. Its motto is “EMERGENCY HELP. Anytime, Anywhere, Any device.” WOW! embraces these standardization efforts and as we offer future products that are portable in nature, we will ensure that the latest 911 standards associated with portability will be implemented as part of that effort.
Until next time…..
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