Back in March, Google rolled out its Public Alerts system outside the US for the first time when it launched the service in Japan. Now this Alert system from Google is offering more information to users than just earthquakes and tsunamis news. The Mountain View-based company made it known through a blog post that now users of this service in Japan will be able to receive updates as well as help plans, which will alert them about the various severe weather conditions such as landslides, blizzards, typhoons and others.
In addition to this, the alerts will appear in Google Search, Google Now and Google Maps on all devices and will also give user details regarding dense fog, high surf and minor weather warnings. The idea of offering these Public Alerts through various Google services and sites is to make sure that users of these services who are residing in Japan will get warnings or information regarding weather conditions without specifically searching for them.
Google has been able to provide Public Alerts to the people of Japan with the help of local Meteorological Agency and Rescue Now, as they are the ones which are giving the search engine required data so it could warn the residents. Public Alerts was first launched in the US back in January 2012 and since then this service has not only prepared users for severe weather conditions like Hurricane Sandy, but also saved many lives by issues warnings beforehand.
Google disclosed this update through a blog post, in which the multinational company said that:
“Earlier this year we launched Google Public Alerts for the first time in Japan, covering earthquakes and tsunamis. Today, we’re expanding the service to include weather-related alerts for typhoons, blizzards, landslides and more.
These new warnings will appear – as earthquake and tsunami alerts do now – on Google Search, Google Maps and Google Now, as well as the Google Public Alerts site, where you will also find minor weather alerts, such as advisories for high surf and dense fog.
If you happen to be in Tokyo at a time when a typhoon alert is issued.
You will also see alerts for severe weather events, like tornadoes and torrential rains, when you search for relevant information on Google Search and Google Maps on your desktop, tablet or smartphone.
The Japan Meteorological Agency and Rescue Now’s commitment to providing this crisis data in a usable format to the public made these new alerts possible. We hope they will help people in Japan prepare for natural disasters and stay safe when they strike.”
Source: TNW, Google.OrgBlog
Photo: Google.OrgBlog
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