The China Earthquake Administration (CEA) has chosen SUSE Linux Enterprise Server from Novell (NOVL) as its operating platform for CEA's Digital Earthquake Observation Network.

The network encompasses 41 national, provincial and metropolitan-level seismographic centers and 360 stations for large cities.

"Novell and SUSE Linux are well-established names in the Linux environment in China," said a CEA official. "We were especially attracted to Novell's commitment to R&D, the quality of its service and support, and, most importantly, a robust and reliable operating system for mission-critical applications such as our Digital Earthquake Observation Network. We are confident our cooperation with Novell will lead the Chinese government to serve its citizens better through highly efficient earthquake monitoring centers."

The Digital Earthquake Observation Network helps the Chinese government effectively forecast earthquakes and mitigate potential human disasters through quick disaster relief, thus increasing public safety and the quality of life of Chinese citizens.

The phased project started in 2003, focusing on the establishment of seismographic, earthquake precursors and micro earthquakes detection networks, as well as an earthquake first-aid training base. The detection networks use highly technical systems such as Active Fault Detection, Earthquake Information Services and Earthquake Emergency Command, which improve the density of earthquake observation, digitization of information, and the quality and speed of monitoring and forecast.

Roger Levy, Novell's vice president and general manager of Open Platform Solutions, said, "The Digital Earthquake Observation Network is a massive national project in China, and we are honored to play a critical part in serving that country's citizens. As the leading Linux solution provider in China, we are focused on providing the best IT solutions to benefit China, the region and the world."