Tomnod is a website that has been set up to leverage the amazing power of crowdsourcing in the search for missing airline Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which mysteriously disappeared on March 8 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
Tomnod, which means 'big eye' in Mongolian, is owned by Colorado satellite company Digital Globe. Digital Globe trained five satellites towards the plane's last known location. These satellites transmit data and photographs to the Tomnod website, where crowdsourcing volunteers can comb through the huge database of information in search of clues.
Volunteers can then tag locations and objects of interest such as possible airplane wreckage, with satellite images being regularly updated.
It's not the first time Tomnod has engaged in this sort of commendable crowdsourcing. The website set up a similar campaign in the wake of the 2013 typhoon in the Philippines, with volunteers tagging 60,000 objects of interest to help rescue teams on the ground find their bearing.
What's Driving This Trend
- Crowdsourced Search and Rescue
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Developing platforms that combine crowdsourcing and satellite technology for efficient and widespread search and rescue operations.
- Crowdsourcing Technology
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Creating platforms that leverage the power of crowds to analyze large amounts of data and identify relevant information or patterns.
- Satellite Imaging
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Advancing satellite imaging capabilities to capture high-quality images and provide real-time data for search and rescue missions.
Who This Affects Most
- Emergency Services
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Integrating crowdsourcing platforms and satellite imaging technology to improve response time and accuracy in emergency situations.
- Technology
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Building and refining crowdsourcing platforms and satellite imaging technology to enhance various industries' operations, including disaster response and recovery.
- Aerospace
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Collaborating with satellite companies and crowdsourcing platforms to improve aircraft tracking, search and rescue efforts, and enhance airline safety.
