Disclaimer and Editorial Standards

Independence

Intensity Lab is operated independently by Research Software Systems LLC. We are not affiliated with the U.S. Geological Survey, FEMA, the Red Cross, or any government agency, and not with Caltech, SCEC, GEM, or NVIDIA. We use publicly available data from those organizations with attribution, and cross-reference authoritative sources throughout the site. Naming a data source describes what we used; it does not imply their review, endorsement, or approval.

Our data sources

All earthquake catalog data and all observed ground motion data come from authoritative government and scientific institutions. We do not generate our own earthquake detections.

Data accuracy and limitations

We present the most accurate information available to us. Earthquake data carries inherent limitations, and several are worth understanding before relying on anything here.

• Preliminary versus reviewed data. Initial earthquake reports are generated automatically and are later revised by seismologists. Magnitude, location, and depth can all change as more data arrives, and USGS revises ShakeMaps for days after an event. We reprocess events when we can, so a value here may differ from what USGS is publishing at that moment.
• Observations versus simulations. This site presents both. Observed values come from recorded ground motion; simulated values come from physics-based models and may be inaccurate. Every page labels which is which, and the simulated motions behind our animations are not a substitute for a measurement.
• Interpolated versus measured intensity. Intensity at a named place is interpolated from the USGS ShakeMap grid, not measured there. Values at seismic stations are derived from that station's own recording and are reported separately.
• Animations illustrate, they do not predict. An animation shows how generic objects respond to one ground motion at one site. It is not a prediction of damage to any particular building and says nothing about your structure or its contents.
• Timing. There is typically a delay of a few minutes between an earthquake occurring and its data becoming available from USGS. Products that depend on ShakeMap wait for USGS to publish one, and animations take longer still because a simulation and a render must complete first.
• Availability. This is a prototype service, provided as is and without warranty. It may be unavailable or delayed, particularly during the heavy demand that follows a significant earthquake.

Editorial standards

Factual accuracy

• Earthquake catalog data is taken directly from USGS and presented without modification to the underlying scientific values
• Educational content is researched and cross-referenced against scientific literature
• Statistics and claims are verified against authoritative sources
• We distinguish clearly between observed data, model estimates, simulations, and explanatory context

Source attribution

• Data sources are identified on every page that displays earthquake information
• Each event page links directly to the original USGS event page for verification
• Explanatory content cites its primary sources, and every source is linked

Automation and independence

• Event pages, notification emails, and animations are generated automatically from published data, without human review of each item before publication
• No advertiser, sponsor, or data provider has any influence over what this site publishes
• Methods are documented in full on the Technical Information pages rather than described in general terms

Authorship

Intensity Lab is developed by Philip J. Maechling, a computer scientist with extensive experience developing seismological research applications. Background and project history are on the About page.

We do not issue predictions or advisories. No one can predict when or where an earthquake will occur. What we can do is help people understand what the shaking did, where it was felt, and what intensity means at a specific place.

Corrections policy

We correct errors promptly. If you find inaccurate information on this site, tell us at info@intensitylab.com or through the feedback form. Corrections are made transparently, and a significant correction is acknowledged along with the original error in the update log. Note that a change in a value sourced from USGS is usually a USGS revision rather than an error here; those flow through automatically as we reprocess the event.

Technical information

Data access

Earthquake data is retrieved from the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program through its public APIs:

• earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1/ FDSN Event Web Service, for the catalog
• earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/ GeoJSON detail feeds, for event products including ShakeMap

Data processing

We process this data to:

• Interpolate the ShakeMap grid to an MMI value at each populated place the grid covers
• Compute independent NGA-West2 model estimates at those same sites for comparison
• Convert timestamps to local time and distances to a reader's preferred units
• Apply the standard USGS MMI color scale for visual clarity
• Drive physics-based animations from recorded or simulated ground motion

We do not modify the underlying scientific values published by USGS. Magnitude, location, and depth are shown as USGS reports them.

Website technology

• Django and FastAPI over PostgreSQL, containerized, with a responsive layout for desktop, tablet, and mobile
• Interactive maps powered by Leaflet with a CartoDB basemap
• Animations rendered with the Blender rigid-body physics engine, on GPU compute

Full methodology and technical documentation →

Contact

We welcome feedback, corrections, and suggestions at info@intensitylab.com.

Please note that we cannot provide earthquake predictions or personalized risk assessments. For risk information about a specific location, consult your local emergency management officials or state geological survey.