Google adds public alerts to maps service

Search giant Google has added public alerts to its Google Maps service, bringing users relevant emergency alerts such as weather disturbances. Google Public Alerts engineer Steve Hakusa said the Google Crisis Response team is working on providing such critical emergency information during crises. "If a major weather event is headed for your area, you might go online to search for the information you need: What’s happening? Where and when will it strike? How severe will it be? What resources are available to help?" Hakusa said in a blog post. He said the goal is to surface emergency information through the online tools used everyday, when that information is relevant and useful. According to Hakusa, Google's Public Alerts on Google Maps will take relevant weather, public safety, and earthquake alerts from US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Weather Service, and the US Geological Survey (USGS). "For instance, at the time of this post, 'Flood Indiana' triggers an alert for a Flood Warning in Northern Indiana," he said. Clicking through to “more info” on an alert will lead to a page showing more details about the alert, with the full description from the alert publisher, a link to their site and other useful information. "Whether you see an alert depends on which alerts are active at a given location, their severity, and your search query. If you’re interested in seeing all of the active alerts in one place, visit our homepage atwww.google.org/publicalerts. This page also provides a link to more information on our new platform and gives instructions to interested organizations who want to make their emergency data available through this tool," Hakusa said. Hakusa said they are fine-tuning the range and relevance of the content a user will see. A separate article on tech site Mashable said this is not the first time Google has attempted to use its dominance in search to aid public-safety efforts. "In 2008, the company introduced Google Flu Trends, which analyzes search data to show where the flu is spreading. Last year, Google also rolled out Google Dengue Trends, which performs a similar service related to Dengue Fever," it said. Google also has a Crisis Response Team that focuses on providing information to the public during emergencies. — LBG, GMA News