ShakeAlert® Partnerships
Introduction (please read this section carefully):
The USGS is actively seeking technical partners to use USGS issued ShakeAlert Messages for applications such as alerting people to take a protective action such as Drop, Cover, and Hold On and/or trigger an automated action. We encourage the development of both commercial and non-commercial products and services.
A critical component of the successful implementation of the ShakeAlert System is a sound education and training program. The USGS and its partners encourage the development of programs and resources elemental to successful and sustained user uptake of the ShakeAlert System to maximize life-safety and property protection impacts.
If your organization is interested in exploring a technical or CEO partnership, please contact your local ShakeAlert Regional Coordinator (contact information below) to learn more and discuss your project.
Want to know more?
Technical Overview – Start-Up Guide for Prospective Technical Partners (8/2022) [.pdf]
Licensing Pathway – ShakeAlert Licensing Pathway (7/2020) (updated 6/2022)[.pdf]
All of our partnership agreements are available for download below.
Once your ShakeAlert partnership agreement is ready for review by the USGS please send it to James Mitchell USGS Technology Enterprise Specialist at: jmmitchell@usgs.gov and Robert de Groot at: rdegroot@usgs.gov
Important Note: Please do not sign a partner agreement until requested by the USGS. Signing is usually the last step in the process. The USGS must review your initial application and once all the details of the agreement are in order a signature will be requested.
Pilot License Agreement (PLA) [with License to Operate Conversion – LtO] — September 2022 Revision
Pilot Partners develop and test innovative and creative ways to utilize ShakeAlert data to generate an alert to prompt people to take a protective action such as Drop, Cover, and Hold On or to trigger automated actions such as closing a valve, slowing a train, or opening a firehouse door. The downloadable agreement also contains a statement of work (SOW) form. Successful completion of the SOW will result in a License to Operate.
ShakeAlert Pilot Partnership Agreement (PLA) and Statement of Work (9/2022) [.docx]
⇒ What’s new in the 2022 PLA? (updated 6/2022)[.pdf]
ShakeAlert PLA/LtO Amendment Form – Consult with USGS before using this form.
ShakeAlert Amendment Form (8/2020 v2) [.docx]
Resources for Pilot to LtO Conversion
Use these documents in preparation for your USGS Performance Review for PLA to LtO conversion.
ShakeAlert Technical Performance Guidelines for LtO Conversion (8/2022) [.pdf]
ShakeAlert Education and Training Guidelines for LtO Conversion (5/2022 – DRAFT) [.pdf]
Other ShakeAlert Partner Agreements
Evaluation Partnership
Become a Evaluation Partner if your organization wants to understand how the ShakeAlert System works and the products it produces in order to evaluate if you want to become an end user or product developer. Evaluation Partners take no actions based on ShakeAlert information.
Important Note: The ShakeAlert ELA is a non-negotiable agreement and must be executed as is.
ShakeAlert Evaluation Partnership Agreement (1/2022 v2) [.docx]
Communication, Education, and Outreach (CEO) Partnership
This agreement is for organizations who are not pursuing a technical implementation of ShakeAlert to partner with the USGS in the development of CEO resources. Partners who already have a Pilot and/or LtO agreement with the USGS do not need to execute this agreement.
Technical Partnership Regional Coordinator Contact Information:
Washington
William Steele (lead) – wsteele@uw.edu
Gabriel Lotto – glotto@uw.edu
Oregon
Kelly Missett (lead) – kmissett@uoregon.edu
Gabriel Lotto – glotto@uw.edu
California
Tal Edgecomb (Northern California lead) – tale@berkeley.edu
Margaret Vinci (Southern California lead) – mvinci@gps.caltech.edu
U.S. Geological Survey
Robert de Groot (lead) – rdegroot@usgs.gov
Kaitlyn Nelson – kmnelson@usgs.gov
Criteria
- ShakeAlert technical partners should meet the following criteria:
- Alerts and actions must be fast enough to be effective. Delays of more than 5 seconds will significantly reduce the value of the alerts.
- All technical partners must adhere to USGS mandated alerting thresholds.
- Automated actions
- must be tolerant of system errors including false, missed, or late alerts and incorrect intensity estimates.
- Human alerting
- general public notification via Apps to Wireless Devices is only authorized when the magnitude is 4.5 and larger and to areas expected to experience shaking of MMI 3 (weak shaking) or greater.
- people receiving alerts should be trained in how to respond to alerts and understand the limitations of the ShakeAlert system.
- all messaging, education, and training for prompting people to take a protective action must align with ShakeAlert guidelines.
The ShakeAlert system provides earthquake notification and data streams using internet-based services. The USGS will provide API and data format documentation intended for developers who have a ShakeAlert Pilot Agreement on file. The USGS will also provide password protected access to a ShakeAlert test service (aka Scenario Server) and live streams from the ShakeAlert alert server. The ability of the USGS to provide technical support is very limited.
ShakeAlert is a cooperative project between the USGS, state agencies, and university partners including the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, the University of California, Berkeley, and the California Institute of Technology. We encourage collaboration among all interested parties including Evaluation Users, Pilot Users, LtOs, universities, and government entities.
