Managing Images Outside the "wp-content/uploads" File System

So, I ran a search on this and found a lot of requests for something like this but no solution (that I could find).

I want the ability to manage images stored in one folder, on the same domain, but outside the wp-.* folder structure. I don’t want to change any of the current functions provided by the Admin Media area either.

Basically I have a website and a mobile app. The app calls images stored in a single folder on the domain server. I would love to have the ability to manage media for the website AND the app images from the WP Admin Panel.

I’m sure it can be done with some PHP scripting but I was hoping for a simple solution.

Thanks!