Pigeons With Tiny Backpacks Track Pollution In London

There is nothing more adorable than animals dressed in tiny outfits but this time those outfits have a serious purpose. A small flock of 10 pigeons have been dressed in tiny backpacks to monitor air quality in the city of London. The small flock of racing pigeons was flown from a rooftop in Brick Lane in London on the 14th of March. These racing pigeons were dressed in small fabric vests on which tiny backpacks have been sewn containing pollution sensors and GPS modules. The sensors inside the backpack are able to measure nitrogen dioxide and ozone levels in particular areas over which the pigeons fly. While ten pigeons might not sound like a huge amount of data nevertheless it a novel idea of measuring pollution. If you are worried about the pigeons, the company would like to assure you that the rucksacks weigh just 20 grams and there are vets standing by for any emergency.


The idea of sending pigeons with rucksacks was conceptualised by Plume Labs, a firm focused on tackling environmental issues and they were backed by a marketing agency by the name of DigitasLBi. If you live in London or nearby areas you can check out the #-Link-Snipped-# website on which you can monitor their every move live along with pollution data. You can also tweet to the twitter handle #-Link-Snipped-# for obtaining specific data about your locality. This experiment will go on for three days. The bigger picture from this experiment is to kick-start another pollution measurement initiative involving people. The folks from Plume Labs have collaborated with Imperial College London to create a new pollution sensor and they are looking for a hundred people to test this equipment. If you are cyclist, runner, or pram pusher you can sign up as a volunteer for this program.

Do you think such programs should be launched in India? Let us know your opinions in the comment section below.

Source: #-Link-Snipped-# via #-Link-Snipped-#