The Academic Advisory and Consultation Board for the Project on the Installation of an Earthquake Early Warning System in Turkey and Providing Signals to Citizens convened at Üsküdar Üniversitesi.
The Academic Advisory and Consultation Board, comprising academicians from 10 universities including Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Rüştü Uçan, Head of the Occupational Health and Safety Department at Üsküdar Üniversitesi, discussed the latest stage of the work carried out for EDIS.
Prof. Dr. Şerif Barış, Chairman of the Academic Advisory Board, stated, “Our aim is to prevent disasters from being a major problem by supporting knowledge with platforms, training, and drills.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Müge Ensari Özay, Director of R&D and Innovation Policies: “We wholeheartedly love doing projects. Developing projects in the field of Occupational Health and Safety is our area.”
OHS Specialist Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Rüştü Uçan: “What is important is to be prepared for an earthquake in advance. I believe this project will be beneficial.”
The 2nd meeting of the Academic Advisory and Consultation Board for the Project on the Installation of an Earthquake Early Warning System in Turkey and Providing Signals to Citizens was held at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Central Campus Senate Hall.
The Academic Advisory and Consultation Board, consisting of academicians from 10 universities, including Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Rüştü Uçan, Head of the Occupational Health and Safety Department at Üsküdar Üniversitesi, and Lecturer Akbey Elçi, convened to discuss how the earthquake early warning system will be provided to the public.
The meeting was chaired by Prof. Dr. Şerif Barış, Chairman of the Academic Advisory Board and from the Department of Earth Physics, Geophysics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at Kocaeli Üniversitesi.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özay: “We wholeheartedly love doing projects”
Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Müge Ensari Özay, a faculty member of the Occupational Health and Safety Department at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Health Sciences, and Director of R&D and Innovation Policies, stated, “We wholeheartedly love doing projects. Developing projects in the field of Occupational Health and Safety is our area. In addition, we have numerous ongoing projects in various fields at our university, from health to engineering.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Müge Ensari Özay emphasized that the Project on the Installation of an Earthquake Early Warning System in Turkey and Providing Signals to Citizens is an extremely important project for our country.
Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Uçan: “I believe this project will be beneficial”
Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Rüştü Uçan, Head of the Occupational Health and Safety Department at Üsküdar Üniversitesi, also said, “Being together makes me proud. We will achieve success together. I hope this will be the beginning of many projects. What is important is to be prepared for an earthquake in advance. I believe this project will be beneficial.”
Süleyman Çeven, Secretary of the Advisory Board and Lecturer from the Department of Electronics and Automation at Düzce Vocational School of Düzce Üniversitesi, also gave information about the upcoming period's work with his presentation.
EDIS to be tested as a full earthquake simulation in factories and shopping malls
During the meeting, the Academic Advisory Board's visits to countries such as Italy, Mexico, Japan, the USA, and Taiwan were discussed. The earthquake early warning system, reported to be used by only 5 countries worldwide, will also be tested as a full earthquake simulation in factories and shopping malls in Turkey after the establishment of EDIS.
The meeting also addressed the issue of making the EDIS application available to board members, and it was emphasized that a survey study would be initiated to research the effects of earthquake early warning systems on citizens, especially in earthquake-prone regions and provinces with high earthquake risk.
At the meeting, a consensus was reached to invite a faculty member from Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute to replace Assoc. Prof. Dr. Doğan Kalafat, who left the board due to his passing. It was also announced that Prof. Dr. Tekin Memiş from Beykent Üniversitesi was included in the Academic Advisory Board for the research of earthquake early warning system legislations.
How to behave in different types of disasters should be learned through mobile applications
Prof. Dr. Şerif Barış, Chairman of the Academic Advisory Board and from the Department of Earth Physics, Geophysics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at Kocaeli Üniversitesi, stated that how to behave in different types of disasters should be learned through mobile applications, and this system should be applied to underground passages and all shopping malls in Istanbul.
Implementing plans and changing human behavior in disasters is not easy
Prof. Dr. Şerif Barış said, “This is exactly what our scientific board aims for. How will people and communities behave correctly when they receive an Earthquake Early Warning System signal? To ensure correct behavior, there must be an appropriate disaster plan, and this plan must definitely have a training component. Easy, simple, practical information should be provided through mobile applications. Here, we are working with our occupational health and safety specialist lecturers. However, implementing plans and changing human behavior during disasters is not easy. These issues are very important for us.”
How people behave with the signal is important!
Prof. Dr. Şerif Barış also noted that an education system in line with the disaster management plan, starting from all shopping malls, and personnel and citizens must be equipped with these trainings. He said, “Unfortunately, in many incidents, people are crushed and die by stepping on each other. Preventing this and reducing the damage from potential disasters will be of great benefit. An early warning signal is important, but how people behave with this signal is also important.”
Prof. Dr. Şerif Barış stated that approximately 120,000 people were amputated after the February 6 earthquakes, adding, “Prostheses place a heavy burden on both the country and those individuals and their families. It is our duty to reduce this burden. These projects offer arguments that will heal a very large and deep wound of the country. Being part of and supporting such a project on the scientific board is very important. Our aim is to prevent disasters from being a major problem by supporting knowledge with platforms, training, and drills.”
It tracks individuals' locations every 15 seconds
At the meeting, which was attended by academic advisory scientific board and consultation board members from 10 universities, Ali Emre Erişen, CEO of EDIS Disaster and Earthquake Systems Inc., stated that the application can notify the affected area of an earthquake up to 117 seconds in advance, depending on the epicenter, adding, “EDIS is a life-saving messenger.”
Ali Emre Erişen pointed out that EDIS achieved a world first by detecting an earthquake and sending a signal in about half a second, and stated that the system tracks the location of individuals who grant permission every 15 seconds. Erişen also said that this would greatly facilitate reaching individuals during an earthquake.
It was also decided that the 3rd meeting of the Academic Advisory and Consultation Board for the Project on the Installation of an Earthquake Early Warning System in Turkey and Providing Signals to Citizens would be held at the Turkish-German University at the end of August.