Since the system offers two-way communication, NOAA officials can upgrade buoy software, perform tests, or reboot stations when equipment is not working properly. The data transmitted to the tsunami warning centers can be used to issue warning guidance, provide hazard assessment, and coordinate emergency response. Following the magnitude-9 earthquake off Japan in 2011, the NOAA issued a tsunami alert to Japan minutes after the earthquake struck, which gave residents an early warning to evacuate to safer ground. The NOAA was also able to accurately model the wave coming from Japan and provide targeted warning to certain areas of the US West Coast before it made landfall.