Beijing uses machine learning and big data to target pollution controls

Beijing has cut a deadly airborne pollutant by 20% in less than a year by using machine learning and big data to direct policy. IBM partnered with the city to use real-time data from optical sensors, air quality monitors and satellites to predict where pollution will be generated, allowing Beijing to enforce air quality control measures on traffic, construction and industry. More than two million people die from pollution every year in China.