As Beijing citizens, we are glad that China is prioritizing pollution monitoring as it starts to implement its new environmental protection law. Advances in environmental monitoring technology — including wireless sensors, mobile apps and big-data processing — are raising public awareness and participation. These facilitate analysis by directly connecting researchers with government agencies and non-governmental organizations.

For example, wireless sensors installed on the chimney tops or drainage outlets of polluting factories monitor emissions such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, or measure water contamination — all in real time. Big-data technology allows the rapid conversion of these massive data sets into regional and national insights that can be visualized online. For instance, real-time air-quality data from China's 367 major cities are mapped at www.cnemc.cn (in Chinese).