Moosp makes some great points!
Cheap lease deals and then hiring the equipment out with a rapid-release clause would help defray the costs. Is it feasible though?
Would it be better to have some big-brother umbrella organisation like the UN or Microsoft organise that part. Would it be possible to use corporate or government money to finance the lease deal at more favourable rates or with special governmental concessions based on the intended aim of the RRRG (rapid rotorwing response group), and then acquire the equipment and hire it out in the ER-type deal. Definitely worth looking into.
I think that the software approach is being underestimated though, but its a relatively new idea and many people are not really aware of it. I understand that GM saved something like $200m in the first year of operation just from better resource distribution.
Computing bang4buck just keeps doubling every 18 months or so with no end in sight. Disposable GPS-chip pricing and the rise of RFID tags means that most aircraft and shipments are going to be tracked in giant databases real time.
You still need people to interpret the results and define the parameters for the software though so it's not like the computer can start to put the pieces of the puzzle together itself. It's just a calculator on steroids.
I have some good friends in the computer research field so maybe I am kept a little more up to date with this stuff but you don't have to read much to know that the information age is just beginning. The average mobile phone will have GPS, a camera, CPU, memory etc in a couple of years if it doesn't already. Give it another 5 years or so and it will probably check your vital signs and communicate them to your local GP and help organise your personal life by reminding you to do stuff based on your location etc. Did you know that at the time of the Boxing Day disaster the Japanese tsunami warnign system featured automated messaging to all mobile phones - even turning them on if they were off?
That's what depressed me about the tsunami! I was able to videoconference with 10 different people across the planet simultaneouslyfor free using my webcam but, unbelievably, nobody was able to warn the millions in its path. The technology is not yet being used effectively.
I think a reasonable first aim is to start simple but think big. Initially, you need a formalized organisation of reliable committed professionals and a database detailing their skill set, availability and location, which is kept up to date by the individuals themselves.
If you haven't guessed already, I'm a big fan of brain storming.
I'm also ready to help save the world - but I draw the line at lycra tights!
I think a new thread may be a good idea.