I just read a little tidbit that the Coast Guard's recently deployed Search and Rescue Optimal Planning System (SAROPS) software was used to help find them. Sounds like the crazy fictional software that you see used on TV shows like CSI that takes currents, weather patterns, etc., to optimize search grids based on resources available, plus help predict survival time and shows everything in some spiffy visual way. Anyone know anything about this? I wonder how much more effective this is compared to the "old" way? (I'd hate to see millions wasted on software that doesn't really add any value to current operations.)

I was just watching the movie Cast Away last night. Maybe Tom Hanks would've been found a whole lot sooner with this software in use.