Big data to help in pollution fight BEIJING: In the future, China will shut down a factory before it even pollutes or so it hopes, as it deploys big data in the fight against bad air. 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 forecasts with resolu- tion of up to 1 sq km and detect trends up to 10 days out. The computer programme, developed by IBM, is one of several high-tech measures, ranging from drones and satellites to remote sensors, that China is deploying to deal with its chronic pollution: AFP