London Pigeons Tracking Air Pollution
31 Mar 2016Air pollution is a serious problem in the city of London. In fact, air pollution caused by diesel vehicles in England’s capital city is so bad that it is responsible for an estimated 9,500 premature deaths each year. Pollution, according to CNN, is the second leading cause of death in the UK, after smoking. This statistic is so startling that it has prompted Britain’s Supreme Court to demand that the government of the country makes plans to reduce pollution and clean up the air.
Pollution isn’t the only thing that fills the London skies; pigeons take to the skies of this city in droves and have long been seen as a detriment to the city. However, now, thanks to GPS tracking devices, science is actually using the birds, which were once one of the biggest banes of London, to its advantage.
Recently, 10 pigeons were outfitted with miniature backpacks and were sent to fly over the London skies. The backpacks carry very important cargo, the aim of which is to combat the city’s air pollution problem: Pollution sensors and GPS trackers.
Once the birds were in the air, they started tweeting, but not in the way that you might expect; the devices they were carrying started sharing the readings of nitrogen dioxide and ozone on Twitter.
Those who are interested in receiving real-time updates about London’s air pollution can tweet Pigeon Air Patrol via the Twitter handle @PigeonAir. Upon doing so, they will receive responses from the bird’s technology regarding the quality of the air in their area. A live map of the pigeons location can also be viewed online.
The Pigeon Patrol is a publicity stunt, the aim of which is to raise awareness about the city’s polluted air. It should be noted, however, that birds who live in the city do suffer various illnesses as a result of air pollution, including damage to the lungs and low body weight.
Plume Labs, the tech firm that outfitted the pigeons with the technology, said that a veterinarian took part in the project to ensure the safety of the pigeons. The sensors strapped to the pigeons weigh 25 grams.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/16/europe/pigeon-air-patrol-pollution-london/index.html
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