By Sarah Wray
Christchurch City Council in New Zealand is exploring new ways to use the data from its EQRNet earthquake response management system, which was recently named as the winner in the Public Safety – Disaster Response/Emergency Management category of the IDC Smart City Asia Pacific Awards.
In July 2018, the Smart Christchurch programme at Christchurch City Council initiated a three-year trial of EQRNet with local company Canterbury Seismic Instruments (CSI).
EQRNet is a dense network of more than 150 ground-based accelerometers which allows the council to better manage its earthquake response using real-time information. The trial was initiated following a ten-sensor pilot in Christchurch which demonstrated significant variations in ground-shaking over distances as small as 100 metres, showing that a much greater level of monitoring than that available from existing GeoNet instrumentation could be beneficial.
Most of the sensors are installed in traffic signal boxes as well as at council facilities and other key sites.
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