Plume Labs Puts Pigeons To Work For The Environment

One of London’s most iconic attractions is going to see the pigeons flock together in Trafalgar Square. However, at least a handful of those oft-disparaged “flying rats” will be serving a higher purpose than posing in tourists’ photos.

TechCrunch has the story of the newest collaboration between Plume Labs and DigitasLBi — a unique take on pollution monitoring using pigeons as literal eyes in the sky. Known as “Pigeon Air Patrol,” the joint venture uses specially bred racing pigeons, unlike the street variety, to fly through the skies of London during peak traffic periods to gauge levels of airborne pollution. Instead of teaching their pigeons the finer points of environmental science, Plume Labs and DigitasLBi instead designed wearable lightweight backpacks that the pigeons soar around with, while simultaneously collecting information on ozone levels, nitrogen levels and more.

The idea, according to Plume Labs CEO and Cofounder Romain Lacombe, is to create a sustainable network of airborne sensors that users can access to see which parts of the city are trapped in London’s infamous fog. However, there is the outside chance that a business model hinging on pigeons is a little far-fetched; Plume Labs is also planning on developing sensors that even non-winged human consumers can wear for their own personal, landlocked use.

“The idea is that we can build a ‘Waze for pollution’ thanks to this data from our users,” Lacombe told TechCrunch.

For the moment, though, Londoners can access the pigeon-based readings through the Plume Air Report app on iOS and Android. Data includes current pollution levels according to area, or users can check 24-hour forecasts to plan ahead in case they’re intending on inhaling large amounts of air near industrial parks or shipping centers.

Londoners will have to act fast if they hope to make use of the next generation of pigeon conservation technology; the 10 avian members of the Pigeon Air Patrol have a service contract of just three days.