The PHIVOLCS FaultFinder

Joel Bandibas

About this app

The PHIVOLCS FaultFinder mobile app shows information about the distance between the user's current location, address or selected location on the map and the nearest active fault. This app needs internet connection to access the web-based active fault database of PHIVOLCS and the necessary web services. The database provides the backend source of information for the Web Map Service (WMS) and Web Processing Service (WPS) used for displaying the active fault map and querying fault trace locations, respectively. This app uses three base maps, the Philippine Geoportal Map, Google Maps and the OpenStreetMap, which are served as web services provided by the data owners. The Philippine Geoportal Map is provided by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) of the Philippines. This app is a classic Web-based Geographic Information System (WebGIS) following the Spatial Data Infrastructure model. The FaultFinder app is the product of the joint collaboration between the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), Department of Science and Technolog (DOST), Philippines and Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan. Dr. Renato Solidum, director of PHIVOLCS, initiated the idea of developing the app. The FaultFinder app was developed by Dr. Joel C. Bandibas of GSJ with the cooperation of the research and development personnel of PHIVOLCS.

Ratings and reviews

Used to be very helpful for civil engineers for finding faultlines. When finding fault based on location, you can't scroll down, always go up again, you can't choose anything below the screen since you can't scroll. Not just on my device, same on my colleague as well.

I hope to experience with this app a 21-century graphics: the text are overlapping; the graphics are amature; and the elements are not holistic to each other. I hope improvements can be done. P.s. I saw the website of the HazardHunterPH website and it looks better - It would be nice see such design on this app.

4.You may tap the "Base Maps" icon on the navigation bar at the botoom of the screen,to change maps. (Note: For more accurate plotting of the faults, use "Philippine Geoportal" maps.) this geoportal mode or feature is useless, it was just a blank white image, stayed on it for 5 minutes 2 times to see if it needed time to load and then reload then wait again to load but nope. app is nice so far. havent really tapped around that much