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A team of software engineers has created an iPhone application that allows members of the public to report the presence of oil from the ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico. The Oil Reporter application, which is also available for mobile phones running Google's Android operating system, provides phone numbers on where to report oiled beaches.
"Oil Reporter" was developed by Crisis Commons, a volunteer network of technical and industry professionals which has also created tools to help with relief efforts following the Haiti earthquake.
"Oil Reporter enables people to help with the recovery effort by using real-time check-ins to report what they're seeing on the ground," CrisisCommons said."Users can upload photos and videos, report oil sightings, harmed wildlife sightings and much more," CrisisCommons said in a statement.
Crisis Commons, which has alao set up a website said the data collected using the application will be mapped and managed by San Diego State University's data Center.
BP was attempting to plug the well on Thursday as new data showed it was the worst oil spill in US history, surpassing the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska. BP has been in the firing line since early may 2010, due to its inability to contain the leaking well. BP has managed to stem the flow but not reduce the flow to zero, the environmental damaged may take years to clean up and the costs are now running into billions of dollars. -