Support

Yes, JQuake Desktop is free-to-use. We make this software in our free time, so if you'd like to support development, please consider making a donation.

Donate

Not at the present time.

No, JQuake does not collect or send any data about you.

Currently we accept donations via Streamlabs at the link below:

Donate

We don't currently support languages other than English and Japanese at this time, but may consider it in the future.

Please refer to this document from the Japan Meteorological Agency.

It is an Earthquake Early Warning report generated from data coming from a single observation point, or having no hypocenter estimation (hypothetical hypocenter placed on the first triggered station). They can be determined by 3 methods: IPF (bayesian B-Δ method), Level method (100gal vertical acceleration exceedance), or PLUM method. Since these kind of warnings are more likely to be a false alarm and requires the user to have an advanced knowledge of the system, they are disabled by default.
Due to API limitations, users outside Japan won't receive these warnings. However, a paid solution will be proposed by the end of August, 2022.

PLUM stands for "Propagation of Local Undamped Motion". It is an expected intensity computation method based on already observed intensities. The principle is simple: the expected intensity at a given point is the maximum of the observed intensity in a 30km radius, after being compensated by the ground amplification factor. It is useful in case of a major earthquake, where hypocenter estimation-based methods are limited.

In the case where hypocenter estimation is not possible, the JMA will announce a special kind of EEW, containing a "hypothetical hypocenter" placed on the first triggered station and will forecast intensities by PLUM method only. Because this announced earthquake location is not a hypocenter, JQuake will display a white doted circle instead of a cross to better convey the uncertainty of the true hypocenter's location, and won't display expected P/S waves circles.

Due to API limitations, users outside Japan won't receive PLUM method data. However, a paid solution will be proposed by the end of August, 2022.

The seismic stations (owned and operated by NIED) which are displayed in JQuake are usually located near roads. Due to vibrations from human activity on the surface, such as cars, trucks and trains, there is an element of noise introduced in the readings, which can appear as low levels of vibration in JQuake as a green or yellowish dot.

Sometimes the monitoring equipment can suffer from interference or malfunction, causing it to generate abnormally high values of PGA or Intensity. If this phenomena only concerns one point without any neighbouring stations being activated, JQuake won't trigger any notification and will hide the point from the map until values return to normal.

Seismic observation stations used in JQuake are operated by NIED, but the earthquake report that contains detailed information following the earthquake is issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency. Due to the difference in station placement between these two entities' networks of seismometers, the data can vary and does not always match each other's observations.

During a deep earthquake, the P-Wave has a significant advance over the S-Wave. The gauge displays the S-Wave's depth relative to the surface.

Due to a bug in Java, you can't place JQuake in a location that includes non-english characters in the file path. For example; if your username is in Japanese or if the folder JQuake is placed in has a Japanese name. Please rename the folder, or move it to a folder that doesn't contain non-english characters.

Due to financial reasons, JQuake is not code-signed, causing this warning to appear. It is safe to ignore this message. To bypass it, right click JQuake in the Applications folder and click Open.

Due to financial reasons, JQuake is not code-signed, causing this warning to appear. It is safe to ignore this message. To bypass it, right click JQuake in the Applications folder and click Open.

You're receiving this error due to your Mac's security settings. As JQuake is not available on the Mac App Store, you'll need to change your security settings to allow JQuake to be run for the first time. Open System Preferences, navigate to Security & Privacy, under General, change "Allow apps downloaded from" to "App Store and identified developers". You can change this setting back after JQuake has been launched for the first time.

Due to Apple's increased security policy regarding unsigned applications on Macs with Apple Silicon, you'll need to perform the following additional step.

After dragging JQuake to the Applications folder, open Terminal and run the following command, then try to launch JQuake again:

sudo xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/JQuake.app

Check your internet connection and try again. If the problem still persists, there may be an issue with the servers so please be patient.

There may be a few reasons for this. First, check that your computer's speakers are plugged in, aren't muted or turned down really low. If that hasn't solved the issue, check the settings in JQuake (General > Sound) to make sure you haven't accidentally muted sounds.