---
title: "Seismic monitoring glossary | SismoSmart"
description: "Plain-language definitions for the seismic monitoring and building-motion terms used throughout the SismoSmart website."
locale: en
canonical_url: https://sismosmart.com/en/glossary
last_updated: "2026-07-26"
---

# Seismic monitoring glossary | SismoSmart

> Plain-language definitions for the seismic monitoring and building-motion terms used throughout the SismoSmart website.

Canonical HTML page: [https://sismosmart.com/en/glossary](https://sismosmart.com/en/glossary)

## Acceleration

The rate at which motion changes. A seismic sensor measures acceleration over time so the shape and intensity of building movement can be recorded.

## Building motion

The movement of a building during vibration or an earthquake. It is not the same as a structural safety assessment.

## Event recording

A time-stamped series of sensor measurements captured around a detected shaking event for later technical review.

## P wave

The primary seismic wave. It normally travels faster than other earthquake waves and may arrive first at a sensor.

## S wave

The secondary seismic wave. It normally arrives after the P wave and moves material perpendicular to its direction of travel.

## Sensor

The measurement component that converts physical building movement into digital data.

## Seismic monitoring

The continuous or event-based measurement of ground or building motion. Monitoring supports observation; it does not certify that a building is safe.

## Structural engineer

A qualified engineer who evaluates how structures behave and can interpret measurements together with inspections, plans and other evidence.

## Terminology

- [Seismic monitoring glossary](https://sismosmart.com/en/glossary)

## Safety and product status

SismoSmart is not an emergency service and does not determine whether a building is safe. Follow official alerts and qualified engineers.

SismoSmart is a pre-launch product. Hardware, detection, connectivity, performance and certification details are design targets until pilot validation and formal approval.

## Machine-readable resources

- [Concise LLM summary](https://sismosmart.com/llms.txt)
- [Expanded LLM context](https://sismosmart.com/llms-full.txt)
- [Public agent guidance](https://sismosmart.com/AGENTS.md)
- [OpenAPI contract](https://sismosmart.com/openapi.json)

## Sitemap

- [Human-readable sitemap](https://sismosmart.com/sitemap.md)
- [XML sitemap](https://sismosmart.com/sitemap.xml)