UPDATE,?? ??? ?? 4 p.m. BST June 20, 2016: Mashable has seen reports that allege that this app is fake, and has reached out to the companies mentioned in this article for comment.
MALTA -- Thanks to a newly launched app, people all over the world can give a crucial contribution to charities and NGOs involved in the rescue of refugees in the Mediterranean Sea.
I Sea is the first crowdsourcing project of this kind and allows everyone with a smartphone to scan satellite images of a particular plot of ocean to find migrant boats in difficulty.
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable The app, available on the Apple Store (the Android version is being tested), is a collaboration between the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) and Singapore-based Grey for Good.
"We wanted to bring technology in for people who have free time to watch the seas and are eager to help in the refugee crisis," Low Jun Jek, executive creative director at Grey, told Mashable.
"The app captures a satellite image of the sea and slices it up into thousands of smaller plots. Each plot is then assigned to different users. They can view the plot through the app and check if they see any boat in distress."
"Users can also move around the image to view different plots. It's a simple operation of one minute that they can undertake while travelling on the train."
"I think it will appeal to someone who wants to be part of the solution"
If users spot a migrant boat in distress, they can flag it to alert authorities who will analyse the image and then will assign the patch of sea to MOAS or other rescue mission. Each plot has geolocation data and a set of coordinates to identify it.
"It's very important for us to make use of technology to be more effective in understanding the context," Ian Ruggier, MOAS head of operations, told Mashable. "I think it will appeal to someone who wants to be part of the solution and save lives."
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Ruggier said the app could improve significantly MOAS' situational awareness and allow the ships to pick up people quicker. "It's another tool in our toolbox that goes beyond the scope of the drones," he said.
"The drones have flexibility in patrolling and the ability to fly and be over the sea. The app goes beyond that: it's a system utilising statellite images and translating to technology, to someone who can view and help. It's a fusion of technology and good use."
The idea is also to gather data to identify a pattern based on the areas where refugees are more likely to travel.
"This new app will help ensure that the migrant story is in everyone's hands," said Christopher Catrambone, founder of MOAS.
"Every person who has watched this tragedy unfold over the past two years will now have a chance to contribute to saving lives, even if it is giving a couple of minutes of their time on an app," he said.
MOAS has recently launched its third season of rescues in the Mediterranean with two vessels, the M.Y. Phoenix and the Responder.
The Phoenix is equipped with two Schiebel Camcopter S-100 drones which have been essential in recent rescues as they're able to cover 97 nautical miles in up to six hours.
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