To help find Flight MH370, the United Nations activated an international consortium of spage agencies and satellite companies to scan the oceans for clues.
"The Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response, known as UN-SPIDER, is a collection of space agencies and commercial satellite companies, including the one that spotted the objects off the coast of Australia.
Normally, UN-SPIDER is activated after floods, earthquakes, volcano eruptions and other natural disasters. This is the first time since UN-SPIDER was formed that its members have been mobilized to find a missing airplane, according to the UN-SPIDER Web site."