STOR-i intern investigates the air quality of major cities in China

Emma Simpson has joined JBA for a summer internship to gain some statistical insight into the air pollution problem in China.  Through the STOR-i internship programme (the Statistics and Operational Research Doctoral Training Centre based at Lancaster University), Emma will be working with Ye Liu at JBA Risk Management and Rob Lamb at JBA Trust to combine JBA’s practical experience of modelling environmental hazards with Lancaster University’s statistical expertise.

The air quality in some major cities in China has long suffered from rapid industrialisation and increasing vehicle usage.  With the help of social network and media coverage, this issue has gradually come to the attention of the government as well as the general public.  In particular the air quality is one of the most discussed ongoing topics in Sina Weibo (the Chinese equivalent of Twitter).

This research is a great opportunity to apply classical statistical techniques, such as time series analysis and extreme value theory, to a topical issue and provide some quantitative context for claims made in other scientific literature.

Photo: Emma Simpson – currently studying at the University of Durham (MMath Mathematics, 2010-present)