The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched its second global innovation challenge, inviting startups, researchers, and developers to create open-source tools that enable crisis-affected communities to report damage in real time. The initiative seeks a platform that allows users to share photos, descriptions, and geolocated data via mobile apps, web platforms, or messaging services, combining this input with satellite analysis to help authorities quickly assess impact and prioritize response efforts.
The winning solution—designed to securely collect and map damage reports—will receive a $50,000 prize, with shortlisted teams invited to present to UNDP experts. Hosted on Wazoku’s Innocentive platform and supported by SeaFreight Labs, the challenge builds on a previous collaboration that drew hundreds of global participants. Submissions are open through June 23, 2026, with potential opportunities for further development and deployment of promising solutions.
“This is a software-only project,” Harry Sangree at SeaFreight Labs says. “The UNDP is looking for a platform that would allow people in crisis areas to take pictures of damaged infrastructure and upload them to the UNDP with geo-tagging so that the UN can decide where to send emergency resources first. The hope is to have people upload within 48 hours of a crisis and provide almost-realtime info to the UN.”
Enticing or enabling people to upload may be a necessary part of the design.
“One of the interesting aspects of the challenge is figuring out a way to get people to want to upload this info so soon after a crisis hits. This makes the problem not just a software development project but also solicits design creativity,” Mr. Sangree says.
