Beijing enlists big data in battle against pollution
Surveillance and smog may be everywhere on the mainland but air quality information is scarce. China is going hi-tech to keep an eye on conditions
In the future, the mainland will shut down a factory before it even pollutes – or so it hopes, as it deploys big data to combat smog.
In Beijing's environmental bureau, a team of engineers tend to giant mainframe computers that keep a watchful eye on the city's pollution.
Using everything from factories' infrared profiles to social media posts, the machines can call up three-day pollution forecasts with resolution of up to 1 sq km and detect trends 10 days out.
The computer program, developed by IBM, is one of several high-tech measures, ranging from drones and satellites to remote sensors, that the mainland is deploying to deal with its chronic pollution.
It seeks to solve an incongruous reality – in a country where security cameras are ubiquitous and Communist Party authorities operate a vast public surveillance system, accurate information about pollution remains scarce – even to officials.
As a result, Beijing and its neighbouring provinces “can't coordinate joint defence and joint control” of their anti-smog efforts, leaving rogue companies to “secretly discharge and secretly dump”, said Chen Long, chief executive officer of Encanwell, which develops air-quality monitoring and early-warning systems.