Air Patrol: crowdsource air pollution in London!

by Plume Labs in London

We did it
On 3rd April 2016 we successfully raised £11,135 with 103 supporters in 21 days

Beta test a wearable air quality sensor, support research against pollution and build a live air map of London!

by Plume Labs in London

You've heard about the Pigeon Air Patrol in the Evening Standard, the Guardian, on BBC News, etc. We're calling on Londoners to fly with the flock – and wear their own pollution sensors to create the first human-powered air pollution monitoring network, in collaboration with Imperial College London.

Join the Air Patrol now!

Let's make air pollution in London visible

What do I breathe when I run near the River Thames? Is it safe to take my children out in Hyde Park? How is pollution changing from borough to borough?

Get real-time information on your exposure to air pollutants thanks to our personal air quality sensor, support scientists as they experiment new ways to measure pollution and help build a real-time map of pollution across town.

Now available for a limited time only. Are you ready to beat air pollution in London?

Support us!

Join the first beta test of our cutting-edge personal air pollution tracker.

  • Track your exposure to the main air pollutants that impact your health.
  • Learn how to protect yourself from pollution.
  • Support a crowd-sourced live map of air pollution in London.
  • Help fellow Londoners visualize the harmful emissions in your city.

 

Why does this matter?

The air we breathe is crucial to our well-being

  • We breathe 20kg of air every day and only drink 2kg of water; 
  • 9,400 Londoners (and 500,000 Europeans!) die every year from the consequences of air pollution;
  • Air quality networks track pollution in fixed spots... but how bad is the pollution you actually breathe?

Our sensors will help you beat air pollution. 

  • They track the pollutant gases that matter for your health: NO2 (diesel and traffic), O3 (photochemical transformation of urban pollutants) and Volatile Organic Compounds (indoor pollutants from household chemicals).
  • They are ultra-light, miniature and wearable to help you track pollution wherever you go.
  • They connect to your iOS or Android phone to send you alerts and let you know when you're exposed.

 

Help us serve you and help the environment.

  • By joining our beta test you will have access to these new technologies before everyone else.
  • Your feedback will shape the development of our environmental tracking technologies.
  • You will also support scientific research on clean air and pollution: this beta test will help scientists from Imperial College London research how better-informed citizens can protect themselves from air pollution.

It's time we make this personal. Join the Air Patrol and let's map air pollution in London!  

 

How will this work?

Receive a sensor to track air pollution

  1. Bring the Plume sensor with you: on your bag, on your bicycle, on your dog’s leash... It will track the level of air pollutants around you wherever you go
  2. Read pollution levels in real-time on your mobile phone via Plume’s smartphone application.
  3. Beat air pollution by avoiding polluted areas and enjoy your favorite outdoor activities thanks to the live map of pollution in London you'll help build!

Help us beat air pollution

  • The experiment will start in June 2016 with a series of focus groups and questionnaires, and last until all devices have been received and worn by our backers across the city.
  • Our team will produce and deliver the sensors, manage the crowd-sensing platform and analyse the anonymous data you will collect to provide a live map of air quality in London.
  • Scientists from Imperial College London will monitor and support the experiment to learn as much as possible from this new way to measure and avoid air pollution in the city. 

Support our experiment

You'll help us improve our sensors and our application, you'll help your neighborhood by mapping air pollution, and you'll help scientists learn how powerful information on what we breathe can be to improve air quality!

Who are we?

We are Plume Labs

We’re the team behind the ultra-light sensors flown by pigeons over London

  • Our day job is building a personal connected device that uses the same technologies to help us keep track and reduce our exposure to environmental factors in our everyday lives.
  • You might know us from our mobile application the Plume Air Report, an urban weather forecast for air pollution with over 150,000 downloads worldwide, available for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
  • The app collects data from official air quality monitoring stations in 300+ major metropolitan areas in 50 countries and uses artificial intelligence to forecast air pollution. However, these stations are both fixed and scattered, which makes us believe a collaborative network would be far more accurate to let people know what they breathe around the world... and that's why we need your help!  

Our partners

We're lucky to have the support from great partners on this journey:

  • Industry partners: Twitter UK
  • Creative partners: Digitas LBi
  • Scientific partners: Imperial College London

Join our team. Help us change the way we measure air pollution!

Read more about us

We've been featured by the BBC, Evening Standard, Telegraph, Newsweek, TechCrunch, VentureBeat and Financial Times among others. 

Questions? 

Contact us at: [email protected]

Not in London? 

Join our waiting list to be the first to know when our sensor is available!

 

"Join us to democratize air quality monitoring and make London breathable again. Together let’s make the air more transparent!"

– Romain Lacombe, Founder & CEO, Plume Labs

Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£5 or more

£5 Reward

Support our campaign! Help us monitor air pollution in London and get monthly updates on our experiment.

£25 or more

8 of 100 claimed

£25 Reward

Support our campaign! + Access to live air pollution map of London + Meet our team in London

£99 or more

42 of 100 claimed

£99 Reward

Join the experiment! 1 Plume sensor + Free mobile app + Access to live air pollution map of London + Meet our team in London

£749 or more

5 of 10 claimed

£749 Reward

Join as a group of 10! 10 Plume sensors + Free mobile app + Access to live pollution map + Group meeting with our team!

£79 or more

22 of 20 claimed

£79 Reward

Join the experiment! *FIRST 20 BACKERS*: 1 Plume sensor + Free mobile app + Access to live air pollution map of London + Meet our team in London

£89 or more

33 of 30 claimed

£89 Reward

Join the experiment! LIMITED TO 30 BACKERS: 1 Plume sensor + Free mobile app + Access to live air pollution map of London + Meet our team in London

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