Shaking Up Earthquake Detection Technology
By Bob Gulla
April 2023
“I believe we can be the Google of prevention,” says Alvaro Velasco, CEO of SkyAlert. “I know that sounds ambitious, but I really believe in my heart that it’s true.”
Alvaro founded SkyAlert with Alejandro Cantu to develop a technological solution that prevents and reduces human and economic losses from earthquakes. Natives of Mexico, both men are keenly aware of the country’s susceptibility to seismic events — including the devastating magnitude 8.1 quake that ravaged Mexico City in 1985, leaving widespread damage and thousands of deaths in its wake.
Utilizing hundreds of seismometers, Skyalert transmits a warning of an impending quake and calculates its expected intensity and time to impact, then delivers this information to the end user. The app has well over a million users throughout the Americas, and hundreds of customers who utilize their alert system — both hardware and software — in their businesses.
“As a company, you must have a 360-degree-view of what you do,” Alvaro continues. “We have data about potentially disastrous natural phenomena. We have the ability to measure the potential damage from these events, and we know exactly what to do in case something happens.”
“It’s not enough to simply notify people,” says Alvaro. “We must let people know how to respond, where to go and what to do.”
So far, SkyAlert has given a variety of institutions — from private businesses to arenas and airports — an immeasurable peace of mind. And they’re expanding even further with their product line. Now, in addition to critical notifications of an impending natural event, they are creating “guided alerts” that instruct people what to do when an event is about to occur. “It’s not enough to simply notify people,” says Alvaro. “We must let people know how to respond, where to go and what to do.”
For those running complex organizations, that means being able to automatically shut off their factory lines, move hundreds of employees to safety, or activate power generators. “We are in the business of saving people,” Alvaro says. “And if one bit of instruction enables us to do that, we have succeeded.”
Alvaro believes he’s appealing not just to customers, but to society. “In order to be prepared for anything, we need to learn about new technology that could save our lives, and we must integrate that technology into our smart houses and smartphones. And not just have it on hand, but know how to use it, as well.”
“We are in the business of saving people,” Alvaro says. “And if one bit of instruction enables us to do that, we have succeeded.”
Alvaro sees his venture as a sound financial investment, and a good investment in humankind. “It is win-win at SkyAlert,” he says. “We can make money together, and we can do what’s right for society by making it a safer place.”
