What Is DYFI For?
The Did You Feel It? (DYFI) system was
developed to tap the abundant information available about earthquakes
from the people who experience them. By taking advantage of the vast
number of Internet users, and Amateur radio clients, we can get a more
complete description of what people experienced, the effects of an
earthquake, and the extent of damage. And best of all, with your help
we can do so rapidly.
By providing a DYFI
report when you can do so safely after an earthquake you contribute to
citizen science and further the understanding of earthquakes. You also
ensure that your area has been represented in the compilation of the
maps of shaking. This is a two-way street: not only will you add
valuable information on the extent of ground shaking and damage, but in
the process we hope you will learn more about how other communities
fared and gain a greater understanding of the effects of earthquakes.
Intensity is reported to USGS via “Did You Feel It?” reports via their Website and now also via Winlink.
The DYFI Winlink report defaults to a USGS email address, meaning your
DYFI Winlink data is reported directly to USGS servers. This flmsg
report is not accepted by the USGS server but will be used locally
only."
Intensity
is a qualitative measure of the strength of ground shaking at a
particular site and is based on on-the-ground first hand observations
of the effects of an earthquake on people and human infrastructure.
Even if you did not feel the earthquake, your response is important: in
areas of lighter shaking, the "not-felt" responses are needed to
determine the percentage of felt responses as well as determine the
boundary of “felt” and “not felt” areas.
Intensity
describes the effects of an earthquake and varies with the magnitude,
the distance from the hypocenter and local geology. Intensity is
reported using Roman numerals as the Modified Mercalli Index.
Magnitude, by contrast, describes the energy released by an earthquake
and is a fixed numeric value.
If you have Internet, for latest information on
DYFI go to: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/data/dyfi/
GPS
Providing GPS information is optional but very valuable. We encourage you to do so.
LAT/LON: The form accepts only Decimal Degree latitude and longitude. 4 decimals are preferred.
N/E/S/W: North and East are positive numbers in Decimal Degrees, South
and West are negative numbers in Decimal Degrees. For example, 39.1234, -123.1234
NOTE:
For auto entered GPS decimal coordinates to work, you must have a
connected and configured GPS device working with Winlink Express. If
your computer has an internal GPS receiver, this device may also enter
LAT and Long coordinates automatically if you click on the appropriate
boxes. Otherwise manual entry in the indicated format can be used.
The development of the DYFI Winlink form was made possible through a
collaboration of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), ARES LAX
(Amateur Radio Emergency Service, Los Angeles) and the Winlink
Development Team.
Training, data and form testing provided by:
Auburn Area Emergency Communications Team (AAECT)nn
Hawaii ARES
MIRO (Mercer Island Radio Operators)
NBAT (North Bend Amateur Radio Emergency Services, North Bend, WA )
PSEARES (Puget Sound Energy Amateur Radio Emergency Services, Bellevue, WA)
San Diego Amateur Radio Emergency Service (SDG ARES)
San Joaquin Valley ARES
Sacramento Valley ARES
Ventura County CA ACS-ARES
Western Kern County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (WKCARES)
Yavapai County ARES/RACES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service, Yavapai County, Arizona)
Form modified and tested for fldigi/flmsg application by the
Mendocino County Amateur Radio Communications Service (McARCS)