The scale of the problem is really huge and it’s getting worse with every passing day. So we thought of a solution that taps into the collective goodness of billions of people with smart phones and tablets. We created I SEA.

This is a mobile app that, in collaboration with e-Geos Satellite Imaging Company and Migrant Offshore Aid Station, crowdsources the search of the Mediterranean Sea for migrants and refugees who are crossing it in unseaworthy boats.

The app divides the satellite image of the Mediterranean into millions of small plots. On downloading the app, each user is assigned a unique plot of the sea to monitor. So whenever they spot a possible migrant ship, they can tag it through the app and report it.

This information, along with the coordinates, is passed onto Migrant Offshore Aid Station ships that are carrying out search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean.

We created I SEA. This is a mobile app that, in collaboration with e-Geos Satellite Imaging Company and Migrant Offshore Aid Station, crowdsources the search of the Mediterranean Sea for migrants and refugees who are crossing it in unseaworthy boats.

The app divides the satellite image of the Mediterranean into millions of small plots. On downloading the app, each user is assigned a unique plot of the sea to monitor. So whenever they spot a possible migrant ship, they can tag it through the app and report it.

This information, along with the coordinates, is passed onto Migrant Offshore Aid Station ships that are carrying out search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean.

The idea empowered the world to get help to the migrants at a place where they needed the most – in the middle of the sea. It also created awareness for MOAS and its efforts to rescue the Mediterranean migrants.

The idea was pick up by media. Leading tech magazines, like Tech crunch, covered the app and talked about its potential to save lives in sea.

Also, 3 Satellite Imaging companies expressed their interest to be part of I SEA app and its crowdsourcing effort.