Authors

Youwen Ouyang (Cal State San Marcos)
Matthew Lehmann (Cal State San Marcos)
Katerine Hayden (Cal State San Marcos)
Debi Kilb (IGPP/SIO/UCSD)

Project Description
Previously, the methods scientists used to locate an earthquake were so cumbersome, even for the scientists, that the earthquake location methodology needed to be over simplified before presented to K-12 students. Today, because of the advances in computer technology, there is a smaller divide between what is performed in research laboratories and what can be introduced in classrooms. The Flash-based Earthquake Location Tool (FELT) provides an authentic earthquake locating experience for students. FELT retrieves seismic data from recent earthquakes and displays seismograms that students can interact with in order to determine an earthquake’s epicenter. XML files provide reference points for the selected earthquakes and their seismograms. Implemented in ActionScript 3.0, FELT allows its client to run on Flash Player and perform computations, interact with Google Maps API, load data, images and audios asynchronously, and redraw sections of the screen, all independently of the server with which it is connected.

Related Links

-- The FELT interactive tool