Performance of a Network‐Based Earthquake Early Warning System in the Ibero‐Maghrebian Region

ABSTRACT The process followed to configure the software PRESTo (PRobabilistic and Evolutionary early warning SysTem; University of Naples Federico II) to operate in the Ibero‐Maghrebian region (IMR) is described, and its performance in the first five months is analyzed. During this period, a total of 147 earthquakes were detected by PRESTo, with good epicentral location and magnitude estimation. The performance of PRESTo and its results for the 25 January 2016 M w  6.3 and 23 January 2016 M w  4.5 earthquakes are analyzed in detail, as these are the largest that occurred inside and outside the seismic network at the IMR during the studied period. The first warning is obtained at 24 and 55 s after the origin time, respectively, with an accurate location and magnitude for both events at the last estimation. Finally, the main differences between PRESTo’s estimates and those obtained by the Instituto Geografico Nacional are discussed, and improvements are proposed to decrease the time needed to issue the alert. This study shows that the actual PRESTo earthquake early warning system configured for IMR generates effective warnings. However, to decrease the warning time, the geometry, density, and data transmission of the seismic network must be improved.