QuakeViz

Description

QuakeViz is an app that provides real-time monitoring and visualization of seismic events across the globe. Unlike other earthquake apps, QuakeViz gives users a time lapse feature for playback of past seismic events. Each quake generates a musical note on a different scale corresponding to magnitude.

After downloading and installing the app, users can view earthquake data from the past week, past day and past hour. Users can sort the earthquake data displayed in the app by date, magnitude, depth, or region. Tapping on an earthquake reveals a map display with further details on the earthquake's position. The earthquake data is updated every 2 minutes. When a new earthquake is detected, the app alerts the user with a sound, the pitch of which varies by the magnitude of the earthquake. Also, the app flags new earthquakes with a red "badge" visible in the earthquake list view.

An overview map allows users to view all the earthquakes that have occurred within a specific time period, with each earthquake colored from green, 0.0 on the Richter scale, to red, 10.0 on the Richter scale. The overview map also features a time lapse control panel. Time lapse allows the user to "playback" earthquake data, starting at the earliest earthquake in the time period and ending with the most recent. Using a slider, the time scale can be adjusted to allow users to increase or decrease the playback speed. As each earthquake occurs, a musical note is played, whose scale and volume increases or decreases with the magnitude of the earthquake. Low magnitude earthquakes produce deep, soft tones. Higher magnitude earthquakes produce louder, higher scale sounds. The result is musical composition, created by the very earth beneath your feet.