Pigeons and pollution are both common blights¹ in cities around the world, but a group of engineers in London are hoping the birds can help them tackle problems with air quality.

 

对世界上许多城市来说，鸽子和污染问题都是常见的危害，但伦敦的一群工程师却希望能利用鸽子来帮助解决空气污染问题。

 

A technology company has revealed it is strapping² pollution-monitoring backpacks onto ten pigeons in London to monitor air pollution over the next three days.

 

On Monday, the flock, nicknamed the Pigeon Air Patrol, were set loose from a rooftop in Brick Lane by pigeon fancier, Brian Woodhouse.

 

For three days, Londoners will be able to get live updates of the pollution where they are by tweeting their location to @PigeonAir.

 

Data from three of the pigeons, called Coco, Julius and Norbert, will then be used to instantly reply, telling them about the level of pollution in their area.

 

A live map is also being updated as the pigeons fly around, detailing the levels of pollution in different areas of the capital.

 

'Air pollution isn't sexy and people don't engage with it,' said Pierre Duquesnoy, creative director at DigitasLBi, who had the original idea.

 

'So the heart of our idea was to make air pollution more accessible and relevant to people.

 

'The Pigeon Air Patrol is a perfect example of how data combined with creative storytelling can raise awareness³ of a serious health and environmental issue.'

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